


Spinearl in a Piety Crisis

by 22Azure_Skies22



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandonment, Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Coming Out as LGBT+, Coping, Drama & Romance, Dumb Author, Embarrassment, Eventual Romance, F/F, High School Drama, Loyalty, Nightmares, Obsessive Behavior, Office, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Peeps is an idiot, Spinel has a New York accent you can't stop me, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, spinearl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/22Azure_Skies22/pseuds/22Azure_Skies22
Summary: Penelope, (aka Peeps) is a successful student at Homeworld high. Everything was good for the first year, but a dangerous teenager having the pseudo of "Spinel" came and tried to destroy the entire school and everyone in it, looking for someone. After a lot of drama, one year passed and everything is peaceful again. Spinel started to attend this high school as some sort of lame punishment for breaking things. She shares some classes with Peeps, and as time passes, Peeps falls in love with the chaotic student. Spinel on the other had has no such feelings for Peeps, but she does feel safe around her. All of the saneness comes to an end after one small misunderstanding.Read to find out what happens!
Relationships: Pink Diamond's Original Pearl | Volleyball & Spinel, Pink Diamond's Pearl/Spinel (Steven Universe)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29





	1. Nightmare part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps helps Spinel deal with a bugging nightmare.

It was another quiet day in the garden. No noise, no food, and no company. She really missed her. It's been about… 4 entire years? Wow, she hasn't seen her in that long? What was she doing here? Oh yeah. They were playing a game.She promised when she got back, they would sing, eat yummy snacks, and they would give each other hugs. That promise is what kept her standing there. She would just have to keep thinking about that day. Even if it takes the rest of her life. Besides, what mother would lie to their own child? She thought of what her mother would say if she stopped playing the game. She would get in trouble and they would never play a game together again. She didn't want that to happen. So she just waited. So many birthdays have passed… but she said she would make up for all the birthdays with a giant parade for her. She couldn't wait.

\--------

Another 4 years has passed. Her mom sure is gonna have to make a lot of cake. But she had to keep standing there. Or she would never play with her mother again. She loves to play with her mother. The thought of never playing with her again breaks her heart. The vines were growing up her legs. They started cutting her skin and they pulled her down. She fell down to the ground; the vines kept pulling her. They pulled her into the ground. She couldn't breathe anymore. She just wanted her mother back. She tried calling for her, but she couldn't speak. Even if she could, nobody would hear her. Nobody was around.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Spinel woke up sweating. She had that nightmare again. She curled up into a ball and buried her head into her legs. She was violently shaking in fear, uttering words that sounded like "mommy". Tears started forming in her eyes. She started rocking to calm herself but it barely worked. The muttering turned into shouts at times. Someone knocked at the door. She must've woken them up from yelling to loud. They knocked again. Spinel was too scared from the dream to get up and open the door. She kept crying and shaking. The person at the door took it upon themselves to open it.

"S-Spinel… Did it happen again?" A young woman with a soft, soothing voice asked. From the violent shaking to the crying, she just answered her own question. Spinel looked up to see who it was. It was Peeps, again. "This is happening often lately. It wasn't this bad 2 weeks ago…" Peeps trailed off as she remembered the first day of 11th grade. Spinel was easier at hiding her feelings back then. For some reason it's worse now. "Sorry for just coming in your dorm room… you didn't answer, but I knew you were awake." Spinel replied with sounds Peeps didn't understand.

Peeps walked towards Spinel and sat down next to her in the bed. She started rubbing her back to calm her down. It worked only a little. Spinel was still shaking, but not as much as she was before. "There there, Spinel. You'll be ok. Just relax…"Peeps wondered if that was even her real name. Spinel is just a gemstone, why would it be an actual name? Besides, Peeps slightly remembered Spinel's credit card. It didn't say "Spinel" on it. Peeps real name is Penelope, people just call her "Peeps" as a nickname and everyone knows her real name. But nobody- not even the teachers- know what Spinel's real name is.

Spinel looked up at Peeps again. Her face was nice to look at in Spinel's opinion. But she only talked to Peeps in English class, or whenever _this_ happened. Spinel tried to think of something to say. "Peeps… thanks." Peeps smiled. "No problem. Just remember that I lo-" Peeps almost confessed to Spinel. What was she thinking? Why confess when Spinel is not feeling well? _The wrong words came out of my mouth… but it isn't a lie. I do love Spinel…_ Spinel looked confused. "Remembah' what?" "Uh…" Peeps almost forgot what she was originally supposed to say. "That… I'm always here if you need me. If you need someone to talk to, vent to or even if you're just lonely, you can come to me." Spinel wiped her tears and smiled. "Thanks Peeps. You're a good **friend.** " Peeps smiled slightly faded. _Friendzoned. Again. I guess this is a bad time to confess. I'll just have to wait a little longer I guess._

"So uh… would you like a drink? I have some milk in my cooler." Spinel nodded. "That sounds nice." They got up and headed to Peeps' room. It was neater than Spinel's room, but neither of them minded. Peeps took a milk carton and poured it into a cup. She gave it to Spinel. "Thank you." Spinel said quietly. "No problem Spinel." Peeps looked into Spinel's eyes. It was an unnatural color. People don't usually have fuchsia colored irises. At first Peeps thought they were contacts. But she asked Spinel two days ago if they were and she said no. Those were her real eyes. She was going to ask if something happened to her. But she dodged the question. 

Spinel took a sip of her milk. "It's good." Spinel didn't really know what to talk about. Neither did Peeps. There was a silence between them for a while. Spinel finished her drink and yawned. "Ya know, I'm gettin' tired again. I need to go back to bed but…" Spinel was afraid of having a nightmare again. Peeps caught that. "Spinel, just relax and focus on sleeping for now. Tomorrow is the weekend so maybe could do something fun tomorrow… if you want." Spinel grinned. "Sure! I'd love to go somewhere. But where would we be goin'?" Peeps pondered about what place they would go ~~for their first date~~ tomorrow. 

She looked at Spinel. She was looking dreary. "How about we wait until tomorrow to decide where we're going? You look tired." Spinel shook her head. "But I-" "I know you're afraid of nightmares but you have to sleep. Try and think of happy things before you go to bed. And try to avoid thinking about whatever you're afraid of." Spinel nodded. "Ok… but can I ask ya somehtin'?" Peeps heartbeat went faster. "Uh sure. Anything." Spinel pitcher fingertips together. "C-can I sleep with you? I-it won't be like we're a couple or anythin' like that… but I just get real lonely in the room by myself." Peeps face turned red. "Uhh… sure." Spinel smiled. "Thanks"

They went to Spinel's room because she didn't have any roommates unlike Peeps. Luckily Peeps' roommates were fast asleep and didn't hear anything. They got under the covers and laid down. Spinel turned to Peeps. "Thank you, again. You're such a good person." Peeps blushes from the complement. Spinel fell asleep seconds after she said that. Peeps turned to Spinel. _She looks so adorable when she's asleep._ Peeps blush got pinker. She then whispered under her breath "I'd do anything for you." She fell asleep soon after that. They were quietly sleeping peacefully together.

Spinel accidently left the door cracked. A student was looking through the crack. They got out their phone and snapped a few photos of them. "This is going to be an interesting story…" They then vanished.


	2. Nightmare part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps tries to clear a misunderstanding with Yolanda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHsahuwefciw i guess im continuing this and making a whole fanfic ajsajdkfskljasdjqpo

It was 6:28 am. Spinel was sleeping peacefully in her comfy bed next to her best friend, Peeps. However, Peeps wasn’t asleep anymore. She had woken up about 10 minutes ago. What was she doing? She was just staring into Spinel’s beautiful eyes. Even though they were closed, she still liked them. Peeps just likes to look at Spinel’s face. She thought that it was cute. She didn’t realise what time it was, but she didn’t really care because it was Saturday, Peeps was a successful student, so she didn’t miss any assignments or do any make-up work.  _ I don’t have any plans today… I think… I feel like I’m forgetting something important…  _ Peeps pondered on what she could be forgetting. She kept staring at Spinel while she thought.  _ She’s so adorable… wait. I”m supposed to be doing something right now…. Maybe I put it in my phone somewhere, _

Peeps got up to go get her phone. She looked around to find that she wasn't in her dorm room. She spoke out loud. “I’m in Spinel’s room… Oh I remember now. I was helping her go to sleep. She had a bad dream…” Peeps’ memories started flowing back to her, She soon remembered what she was going to do today. “Oh yeah! I’m supposed to be going somewhere today. With… Spinel?” Peeps grew a slight smile on her face. “Hehe, i'm going to spend the day with Spinel!” Peeps didn’t need her phone to check what she was missing after all. She just remembered! “Ah, I’m so forgetful sometimes. I wonder how I get good grades…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone slamming open the door, “Peeps! What are you doing here? And why are you sleeping with… **_her…_ ** ?” It was Peeps friend, Yolanda. {yellow pearl} Peeps looked at Spinel. She was woken up by the loud door slam. She was stretching her arms and mumbling angrily. Peeps frowned. “Well I was just-” “Shush Peeps. I don’t wanna hear it. I’m already so disappointed in you… just look.” Yolanda took out her phone and showed Peeps and Spinel the school press page online. Spinel spoke up. “So what? Why would I care about th-” Yolanda scrolled down and showed them the pictures that were taken last night of Spinel and Peeps sleeping together. Spinel’s went wide as she read the words: 

“TEENAGE GIRLS SLEEPING TOGETHER AFTER A  **FUN** NIGHT”

Spinel’s mind raced.  _ What? I didn’t actually  _ **_sleep_ ** _ with Peeps… not like that! I don’t even like her like that! I’m not even  _ _ thinking _ _ about romance. Does Peeps even like girls?  _ The silence from Spinel scared Peeps a bit. Sure, Peeps did have a little crush on the girl, but she didn’t ‘have a fun night’ with her. She looked at Yolanda. “Yolanda it’s not what you think! The thing is, Spinel had a nightm-” “I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t stoop  _ that  _ low and sleep with someone like  _ her. _ .. “Spinel”s expression changed to annoyed. “Now what’s that supposed’ta mean?” asked Spinel, slightly offended. Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Nothing. But it doesn’t matter because at least I believe you, Peeps. I don’t know how we’re supposed to convince the rest of the school…” Peeps shrieked. “THE REST OF THE SCHOOL? That’s like… 700 people, and that's  not even including the teachers and staff! My reputation!” Peeps reputation was popular. She was part of the student council, with Yolanda being the vice president. She was looked up to by the younger students along with her peers. Students saw her as kind, caring, and understanding, The adults saw her as intelligent, organized, and prepared. Her close friends see her as her true self, which does include the things other people see her as. But they also see her as ditzy, forgetful, and even a little obsessed at times. But all of those good traits could be ruined by this post. 

Peeps panicked. “Oh my gosh… Yolanda… what am I going to do?” Spinel felt partially guilty about this. She did ask Peeps to sleep with her. But all they did was sleep, and nothing more. What both Peeps and Spinel were afraid of is when they walk out into the hallway. Students are going to laugh at them. They were going to curse and throw things at them. They would spread it all over on social media platforms. High school is cruel, and they both knew that. “I’m... I’m so sorry, Peeps. I didn’t mean to ruin your life...I just waste everyone’s time.” Tiny tears started to form in Spinel’s eyes. “Damn right you’re sorry. Let’s get out of here, Peeps.’ Yolanda said, grabbing Peeps’ wrist. She was heading out the room when Peeps pulled back. “Yolanda…I can’t go out there.” Peeps turned to Spinel, failing to hide the tears coming out of her eyes. “Look. I know that you might be embarrassed, but you’re part of the council and-” “No Yolanda. I mean I can't go out there because a student is in need. And she’s right next to me.” Yolanda scrunched up her face at Spinel, She walked over to Spinel and got up in her face. “This is  _ your _ fault.” Yolanda stormed out of the room.

Spinel just felt like crying even more. “I’m the worst.” Spinel fell down on her bed and buried her face into the pillow. Peeps scooted over closer to her. “It’s ok, Spinel. Well, the part about sleeping with me. To be honest, I didn’t even mind…” Spinel just cried more. “B-because of m-me, y-your reputation is in j-jeopardy…” Peeps reached a hand out to comfort her. She started rubbing her back. “And it’s all because of this…my um... _ issue. _ ” Spinel didn’t want to talk about her trauma. Not now.

Peeps smiled slightly. “I don’t know how we will handle this, but it’s not so bad. It’s just a simple misunderstanding. I will be able to clear things up. Go ahead and get dressed because we still have that date- erm, I mean, out trip to go to. I have some places in mind.” And with that, Peeps walked out of the room. She was going to get dressed, but all of her clothes are in her room. She was going to have to go through the hallway and face the students. In her pajamas.


	3. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps and Spinel plan their trip

Peeps took deep breaths. She knew that this was going to be difficult. She knew that high school students were cruel. But she needed to get to her room. It was just a few doors away. It was almost 7 am and it was Saturday, so surely students would sleep in, right? Well, not all students. Peeps slowly closed the door behind her and walked out of the room. She looked around-no students in sight. She sighed of relief and walked towards her dorm room. She speeded up. She was soon running to her dorm room. She just wanted to get out of this hallway before anybody came out. She finally reached her room. _Thank goodness._ She opened the door to find Belle {Blue Pearl} half naked.

“Oh my! I’m sorry Belle, I should’ve knocked first…” Peeps looked away and covered her eyes. Belle quickly ran to the bathroom and closed the door. Peeps was embarrassed about seeing her in that way. But she would talk about it later. For now, she needed to get dressed. She looked around to see if anyone else -other than Belle- was in there. She closed the door and ran to the closet. She was going to pick the best outfit…

  
  
  


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Spinel was thinking about what Peeps said before she left. She had to get dressed so they could go somewhere fun. Spinel thought that it would be nice to get to know Peeps better. She was such an amazing person. And besides, Spinel needed to clear her head. She needed to forget about what happened with the school press. She wasn’t worried about herself though. Her reputation was already on the bad side because of… the “event” one year ago. She was worried about Peeps’ school life. She didn’t want her to be mad at her for the remainder of high school. Even if she wouldn’t be mad at her, Spinel would always feel guilty.

Spinel got out of the covers and went over to the bathroom to wash up. When she took off her top, she touched her tattoo. It was heart shaped and it reminded her of her trauma. The tattoo was permanent, so she tried to forget it. SHe turned on the water and showered. After she got out of the shower, she brushed her teeth and went over to her closet. “Hmm. What am I going to wear? All my clothes are the same colors hehe…” What she said was true, all of her clothes were black, hot pink, and fushia. They all looked the same. So Spinel just grabbed the newest outfit and started to put it on. She looked at herself in the mirror. “Hm. I look nice. Well except for…” Spinel looked up at her hair. “I gotta fix this mess…”

  
  


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Peeps was fully cleaned and dressed. She was wearing a line-scoop neck, knee length chiffon cocktail dress. It was pink and white, which were her favorite colors to wear. SHe wanted to check on Belle, so she knocked on the bathroom door. {Their room was large, they had two bathrooms} “Belle? Are you okay? I didn’t mean to walk in on that…” Peeps was hoping that Belle wouldn’t be too dramatic about this. She had other more important things to worry about. Belle nodded and said “I-its okay, Penelope. I should’ve been in the bathroom to begin with… also, where were you this morning? I didn’t see you in bed.” Peeps began to sweat a little. 

“Oh, uh… I was using the bathroom…” 

“But i checked the bathroom and you weren’t there.”

“Uh well I went out into the hallway to get a coffee…”

“But we have a cooler with plenty of drinks and snacks.”

“I uh, went for a jog.”

“At 6 in the morning?”

“Y-yeah…”

Belle looked suspiciously at Peeps. ~~"I dunno peeps u kinda sus"~~ But she let it slide, it was early in the morning and Belle needed to go places. “Well ok… I have to go by the office and print out some things. We can go somewhere for lunch with Yolanda if you want.” Peeps sighed with relief. “Yeah, of course. Um, is it okay if I bring an extra friend?” Peeps was anxiously playing with her hair. Belle nodded. “Yeah, of course. I don’t mind who it is, but you and I both know how Yolanda is. You’ll have to ask her about whoever you’re bringing.” Peeps chuckled and nodded. “Ok. Bye Belle!” Peeps gave her a hug and Belle went out. Peeps smiled. She was almost done getting ready. All she needed to do was put on some makeup and some jewelry.

  
  


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“Ugh… nothing new in my feed…” Spinel was scrolling through her phone checking her social media apps. Apparently there was nothing new going on… besides the school press. Spinel groaned. “Why isn’t anythin’ happenin’ today? The only thing I’m lookin’ forward to is-” Before she could finish, somebody was knocking on the door. She got up and opened the door. “Oh. It’s you, Peeps.” Peeps smiled. “Uh huh. I’m ready to go, how about you?” Spinel nodded in response. “So, where are we goin’ anyways? I haven't decided yet.” Peeps sighed. “We can just ride around town and we can decide then. But I was thinking we could go to the park.” “Sounds great,” Spinel replied. But what would they do there? Spinel thought for a moment. “Should we get food and have a picnic?” Peeps blushed and nodded. _That sounds a lot like a date…_ Spinel smiled. _Maybe this won’t be so bad. If i could just forget about what happened last night and this mornin’, everything will be OK._

They walked out of the room and went to the stairs. “Geez, can’t we get some elevators in this buildin’?” Peeps nodded in agreement. Spinel mumbled for a moment. They made it all the way down to the main entrance, but there was still a flight of stairs waiting outside. Then she chuckled. “I got an idea. Just watch.” Spinel sat on the rails. “Imma slide down these stairs,” Spinel reached out to Peeps. “Wanna join?” Peeps heart was racing. She didn’t know what to do. Spinel retracted her hand back. “Yeah yeah, I guess maybe it is s dumb id-” Peeps grabbed her hand and sat on the rails. She giggled. Spinel blushed a little. She was… feeling something. Something so new, yet familiar. _What...what is this?_ Peeps giggled again. “So, do you wanna do it still?” Spinel nodded. “Yeah, of course.” The two teenage girls slid down the railings of those stairs. They were giggling and laughing at each other. When they reached the bottom, Spinel fell off. “Whoops!” “Spinel, are you ok?” Spinel laughed. “I’m fine Peeps.” Peep sighed. “Good.”

She held Spinel’s hand to pull her up. _Every time I hold her hand my heart races…_ Spinel got up. They looked around to see that some students were looking at them. Some were laughing at them while others were confused. Spinel and Peeps looked at each other then looked at the door. “Lets go before the adults find us.” whispered Spinel. Peeps nodded and they ran for the parking lot.

  
  
  


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Peeps and Spinel were sitting in the car. “You have a nice car, Peeps.” “Hehe. Thanks.” It was a light pink Koenigsegg Trevita. It was a really expensive car. “Your parents must be rich…” Peeps. “Yes. They are very rich.” Spinel played with her hair. “Well, I live in a rich family, though I was technically adopted.” “Oh. Interesting.” There was a silence between them. Spinel was playing games on her phone while Peeps was just browsing on hers. Peeps finally remembered what they were here for and started the car. They drove off.


	4. Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps and Spinel have a nice picnic, but it doesn't go so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ksaslsskassx this took me like three days sorry for the delay. i take breaks on the weekends lmao

They have been driving for almost an hour. Peeps wanted to find the perfect park to go to, {also one that wasn’t too close to campus}. Spinel was getting bored, and hungry. “Hey, uh could we get something to eat? I’m starving.” Peeps sighed. They were in here for a long time. It's almost 9 am and they haven’t eaten breakfast yet. “Sure, we can go get some donuts from the coffee shop. It’s near a nice park.” Spinel shook her head positively. “Yes! I love donuts!” She was drooling a bit at the thought of strawberry iced donuts with rainbow sprinkles. Peeps giggled. “I like donuts too, but clearly not as much as you do.” Spinel hugged herself tightly and grinned. _Oh goodness. She looks too adorable! I just… Peeps focus on the road!_

When they reached the coffee shop, Spinel was practically jumping in her seat. _She acts just like a child… so endearing…_ Peeps was blushing at her every action. She was falling deeper in love with Spinel. She saw something in her, that nobody else she knew saw in her. Peeps didn’t know what it was yet, but she loved it regardless. She loved Spinel. Even if she did try to destroy the entire school. “Um, excuse me ma’am. Are you going to order?” said the woman in the speaker in the drive thru. Peeps got so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot where she was. “Oh right. Spinel, what would you li-” Spinel rudely climbed over Peeps’ lap and reached her head out of the window. 

“Iwouldlikesomestrawberryiceddonutswithsprinklesonthempleasethankyouandsorrypeeps.” Spinel was chattering very fast. The employee had to ask her to repeat what she said. Spinel groaned. “Can. I. Please. Get. A. Strawberry. Donut?” The employee nodded. “Anything else?” “Yeah can I get-” “Spinel, could you please get off of me?” Spinel forgot that she was on top of Peeps. “Oh yeah. Sorry.” She got off of Peeps and went back in her seat. “Can you tell ‘er that i’d like a frappuccino please?” Peeps told the coffee employee that. She also ordered herself a simple glazed donut with a café au lait.

After they ordered their food, they had to pay for it at the first window. That’s where their little quarrel started. “Spinel, it's ok. I can pay for it. I have more than enough money to-” Spinel shook her head. “No! I wanna pay. I have da funds too, but I need to repay you. You’ve done so much…” Spinel thought about last night and all of the other nights Peeps helped her with that nightmare. “I… I’m grateful… this is the least I could do for ya.” Peeps finally gave in and let Spinel pay for their breakfast. _She did have a good point… why didn’t I just say yes in the first place?_ Peeps realized why she kept arguing about paying. It wasn’t only because she was a nice person. Peeps was stalling. She wanted to spend more time with Spinel. _My goodness Peeps you see her everyday._ Peeps shook her head. “Uh, are you ok? I said i was payin’.” Peeps blinked twice. “Oh. Right. Cash or card?”

  
  
  


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After they got their food, they found a nice spot at the park to sit by. It was under a tree; and it was perfect weather outside. They got their food and sat down by the spot. Spinel wanted to start gobbling down her donut right away, but something stopped her. Was it the fact that if she finished her meal now, she would have nothing to do for the remainder of this breakfast? That should’ve been the case. But what stopped her was Peeps. She thought of how she helped her with the nightmare. She thought of how this whole trip thing was her own idea. 

_Hmm. Maybe I can just savor this moment… and this donut._ Peeps was taking tiny bites of her donut. Spinel was slightly annoyed by that. She started to sip her frappuccino. _I can’t remember the last time I had a frappuccino… Wait. I never had one before. Ever. I was abandoned in the… garden. For about… 9 years? Almost a decade? Hm._ Spinel’s expression changed into a doleful frown. She looked like she was about to cry. Peeps stopped eating and looked at Spinel’s face. Peeps heart almost broke. “Spinel… what’s the matter? Is it your food? This place? Did _I_ do something wrong?” Spinel shook her head hastily. “N-no… It’s not… It’s n-not y-y-you…” Spinel dropped her drink. It was spilling all in the grass. “Spinel!” Peeps scooted over to her. She touched her shoulder. “Spinel… tell me. What’s wrong?” Peeps was disturbed by how Spinel was vigorously shaking. “I-I… I’m- I…” Spinel was trying to say something, but she couldn’t get it out. There was a lump in her throat. She felt like she couldn’t even speak. The hot tears in her eyes were spreading all over her face, messing up her mascara.

Peeps eyes widened at the sight. _Oh no. She must be thinking about her nightmare. Whatever it is must be traumatizing. How can I get her to tell me what it is? She’s too scared to speak. I need her to feel better. I need to... I…_ Peeps’ instinct was telling her to do something that would for sure ruin her reputation if anyone saw. It was deep down in her heart. She couldn’t think of anything else to do, though her mind had thought of thousands of alternate decisions. Her love for Spinel was just too strong. “Spinel…” Peeps grabbed her cheek. “P-Peeps, wh-what are ya doin-” Peeps pressed her lips against Spinel. They locked lips. Spinel was confused the whole time. But for a split second, she felt like this was right. They were kissing for maybe 16 seconds before Spinel realized who she was kissing. 

Spinel broke the kiss. Peeps eyes were still closed. She didn’t want to see Spinel’s disappointed face. Peeps was certain that Spinel didn’t love her back. And she was right. Spinel scooted away from her. She still had to process what just happened. Spinel was silent; she was all caught up in her thoughts. A burgundy blush spread across her copper skinned face. Spinel scooted further away. Peeps opened one of her eyes and looked at Spinel, who was further away from her. _I messed up…_ Spinel finally got the courage to speak up. “Wh-why did ya do that?” Peeps had to come up with a good reason. This could mess up their friendship. “Spinel I-”

“PENELOPE!” Peeps jumped in fear. It was Yolanda. “Peeps, what the actual HELL are you doing?” Belle was next to Yolanda, looking as confused as ever. She pulled out a phone that was on the school press. She didn’t even have to scroll because it was the top story. “What’s going on? Why was Peeps kissing Spinel?” Peeps was surprised by this.”How did you guys know that I was here?” Belle squinted her eyes. “I told you this morning we would have lunch here. Me and Yolanda got hungry though, so we got breakfast instead. I texted you this. Didn’t you see it?” Peeps shook her head no. “Are you and Spinel dating?” Yolanda muttered. “She better not be dating that _criminal_ . She’s insane!” Spinel hid her face away in her hair. Peeps was getting a little annoyed by Yolanda. “Stop it! You’re hurting her feelings.” Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Whatever. If she even cared about others’ feelings, the music room for 9th graders wouldn’t have been scorched.” Spinel wanted to run away. She didn’t want to deal with this anymore. She got up and ran away. _I can’t deal with this much pressure._ “SPINEL! COME BACK!” Penelope yelled at her.

Spinel couldn’t go back. She needed to go home. To her aunts.


	5. Ameliorate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wuigdcuiwebasiodedso hshshhhs this took so long sorry i told yall i dont do this on weekends hfsdj im freaking out cuz ive got stuff planned for the next chapter hehe i already got the name hsausdjvefklve

She has been running for about 40 minutes now. She needed to go home. She needed to go anywhere that was away from  _ her _ . Spinel didn’t exactly know  why Peeps kissed her. Was it to distract her? Was it to shut her up? Was it an accident? She didn’t know, but she didn’t care at the moment. She just needed to go home. She stopped and rested by a sidewalk. She was not even halfway to her home. She didn’t have her car because it was at school, and she couldn’t go there. She did have her phone though. She put in the number to call a cab. “Hello, this is the Yellow Cab Co. of DC, how may I-” “Ok ok, look here, mistah.” Spinel had no patience anymore. She told them where her location was. “Ok miss, we’ll be there in 20 mi-” Spinel hung up. She just had to wait there until the cab came.

  
  


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Peeps covered her face with her hands. She, Belle and Yolanda were in her car. They haven’t moved ever since Spinel ran away. Peeps wanted to cry. This was all her fault. She didn’t even know where Spinel was at this point. Yolanda was sitting in the driver's seat avoiding looking at Peeps’ face. Belle was sitting right next to peeps in the back, looking concerned. Peeps voice came out quiet, but somber. “This is all my fault… what am I doing? All I wanted to do was help her. That’s all I wanted… to do…” Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Peeps. All she did was run away. She’ll come back. The teachers will be wondering where she is anyways.” Belle nodded her head. “Yeah. Spinel will return soon. You can always try your best to help people… but you can’t help everyone.” Peeps ignored Belle’s comment. Yeah sure, she was part of the student council. But she didn’t want to save everyone. She didn’t even  _ need _ to. She just wanted to help Spinel.

Was it because she had a  small crush on her? Possibly. But she also wanted to know what her trauma was. Peeps thought about what happened way earlier this morning and how she was scared of that nightmare. She was vigorously shaking in fear. That wouldn’t be a reaction to having a nightmare about your teeth falling out or something. She had a past. Something happened before that made her scared. Peeps thought again.  _ Maybe that same “thing” is the same reason that she burned some parts of the school… I need to talk to her, but I have no idea where she is.”  _ Peeps uncovered her face. It was slightly red from crying, though she didn’t cry a lot. 

Belle sighed. “Peeps, It’s ok. You can cry in front of us. We’re like sisters after all!” Belle was right. These three have known each other way before they started going to school together. They all met at a playground one day. They were about three or four years old. They were pushing each other on the swings, sliding on the slides, all of that good stuff. Those were good times. They’ve gone to school with each other for a decade now. “But I do have to ask, Penelope.” Belle was hesitant about this question. Peeps turned to look at Belle. “What is it?” Yolanda’s ears perked up. She wasn’t listening to anything before but now she’s interested.

“Penelope… Are you a lesbian?”

  
  
  


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Spinel’s ride finally came to pick her up. She got in the car. “So young lady. Where are you heading to?” The female driver asked Spinel. Spinel sighed. She honestly felt like cursing instead of actually talking. But she brought up the courage to say her aunts’ address. “Wow! That’s an expensive area. It’s gonna take us a long time to get there.” Spinel rolled her eyes and nodded, knowing that she was gonna have to pay a lot for this ride.  _ Maybe I shoulda’ just called an Uber. _

They started driving off. Spinel had a gut feeling that the driver was going to try and make small talk with her. Usually, Spinel would be happy to talk to her, but she wasn’t in the mood right now. And her gut feeling was right. The driver was humming an unfamiliar tune. “So, young lady. What’s your name?” Spinel rubbed her arm.  _ Should I tell her my real name or just tell her my name is Spinel? Well, I might never see her again. So I guess it’s safe for her to know my real name.  _ “My… my name is uh…” Spinel was having a hard time saying her real name. It just gave her bad memories. She shuddered. “My name is Spinel.” The driver looked confused for a moment, then she just grinned. “Oh what a nice and unique name! My name is Daphne.”

  
  


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Peeps was thrown back by the question. She didn’t know how to respond to “Are you a lesbian?” Peeps blinked twice and turned away from Belle. “So… what if I am?” Peeps was so scared to see Belle’s reaction, especially Yolanda. But instead, she was surprised. “Oh thank goodness. We wouldn’t want you to have kissed a girl if you weren’t attracted to them.” Belle smiled. But then she frowned looking at Peeps expression. “Penelope, you didn’t think that we would judge you, did you?” Peeps nodded. Belle hugged Peeps from behind. “We would never. As long as the person you’re seeing is a normal human being, and that they are nice to you, we wouldn’t care less. Isn’t that right, Yolanda?” Yolanda nodded. 

“Yeah, and Spinel is  not  a normal human being.” Belle furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Yolanda! Don’t say that about Spinel. She may have a mental issue but-” 

“Girls! She doesn’t have a mental issue. And I’m  not dating her!” 

Yolanda and Belle went quiet. “Sorry Peeps.” Belle said shamefully. Peeps took a deep breath.  _ Inhale, exhale. _ Once Peeps calmed down, she turned to Belle. “It’s okay, Belle. You didn’t know.” She turned to Yolanda. “Ok, what is your problem with Spi-” “Ah, ah ah.” Yolanda held a finger in front of Peeps’ face. With as much sassiness as Peeps has ever seen her, Yellow explained. “Well first of all, she tried destroying the school, and she succeeded in doing so, but only to some portions. She burned the 9th grade music room like I mentioned before when she ran away, she burned 6 entire classrooms, and she burned half of the main gym. Do I need to go on? I will. She was screaming and crying like a crazy person, she was beating up some of the student AND teachers, she was breaking everything in her path, including  our studio, and she didn’t even help clean  any of it up!”

Belle nodded. “She hurt a lot of people, Penelope…” Peeps shook her head. “I know...I know she did all of that. But it has to be for a reason.” Yolanda gasped. “Peeps! You’re so right! It must be for a reason!” Peeps sighed with relief. “So you’re finally on the same pa-” “She’s simply just a crazy person and you shouldn’t hang around her!” Peeps shook her head incredulously. “Yolanda… you just don’t get it, do you? Spinel needs help. And I will give it to her.”

  
  
  


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It took about an hour, but Spinel had finally reached her destination. They were at the halfway mark of the driveway-strangers couldn’t go that far. She opened the door and got out of the car. She was running towards the gate until she heard Daphne honk the horn.  _ Oh right… I forgot to pay. _ Spinel went to the front window and asked. “So how much do I have to pay?” Daphne hummed. “Hmmm. You have to pay… $58.99” Spinel’s eyed widened and she shook her head in disbelief. “That’s like… almost 60 dollars!” Daphne chuckled. “Well, told ya it would be expensive.” Spinel rolled her eyes and paid her. She only had about 10 dollars left on her card, so she’d have to ask one of her aunts to put money on it. She really wasn’t looking forward to staying with them, but she needed a breather from all this school drama. Daphne said goodbye and drove out of the long driveway leading to this huge mansion. Spinel took a deep breath and ran up to the gate. There was a camera beeping and showing a red light. A voice came out of it. “State your name.” Spinel noticed that the voice was her aunt Ysobel {yellow diamond duh szshzh}. She took another deep breath. “Spinel.” The camera shifted to focus on Spinel’s face.

Ysobel’s voice sounded uplifted and happy. “Oh my goodness!  Spryng is here!”


	6. Spryng Is Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel has an issue at her aunts' house while Peeps tries to find her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hshshzjzkjkds this is the longest chapter so far. hope you enjoy! Also i forgot that notes exist

After trying to reason with Belle and Yolanda, Peeps simply gave up. She told them to get out of her car. She was going to have to talk to them later. Right now she had to fix things with Spinel. A part of her felt like she was abandoning her closest friends. Another part of her was saying that she needed to get close to Spinel immediately. She needed to patch things up with Spinel before she could apologize to Belle and Yolanda. Peeps was messing up. Her brain was screaming at her “Don’t go, you’ll only make things worse.” Peeps was guessing that Spinel went back to school, so she was heading there. Peeps still had a crush on Spinel, of course. But she felt like she was still taking it far by kissing her. What was she even thinking? Why did she do that? Was Peeps genuinely stupid?

Peeps was getting kind of hot, so she decided to get iced water from that same coffee shop. She started the car and went there. After she would get her drink, then she would go after Spinel. 

  
  


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Spinel knocked on the door. She knocked a second time; she could hear footsteps. Before she could knock a third time the door was open and she saw all three of her aunts’ faces in her’s. Ysobel, Bianca, and Wylda all gave Spinel a hug and invited her in. They went to go sit down in the hearth room to talk. The fireplace was lit and there were cookies on the table. The three aunts were beaming with joy as Spinel decided to sit down on the cedar-colored couch. Spinel looked at the cookies in excitement. She grabbed one and stuffed it in her mouth. She stopped and looked up at her aunts. She knew she had to talk to them.

Bianca (blue) spoke first. “We’re so glad you're here, Spryng.” Spinel shook her head. With a mouth full of cookies, she said “Um, I go by Spinel now…” Spinel didn’t want to think about her name. It was tied to too many bad memories. “Oh. Of course. Well nonetheless we’re happy to have you here.” The other aunts nodded. Spinel swallowed her food. Ysobel spoke up. “The moment I saw you in the camera, I couldn’t hold my excitement! How has school been anyways?” Spinel shuddered. “Well, I actually came here to get away from school. Ya know, drama and all…” Ysobel nodded. “Ah, yes. _Fun._ ” She said in a sarcastic way, understanding where Spinel was coming from. Wylda (White sfbcdhjbsk) spoke up. “So, Spryng, I mean uh, Spinel. Do you want to talk about what happened? Or do you just want to have cookies and talk about positive. Things?” Spinel nodded and grabbed more cookies. “I’m sorry that these cookies are shortbread cookies instead of chocolate chip...we weren’t expecting you to come. Me, Ysobel and Wylda were just going to have these ourselves.” “No no, they're fine.” Spinel kept crunching them down. Bianca smiled. “Well I’m glad that you like my baking.”

Spinel got up. She wanted to go to the media room where there were video games to play. She needed to charge her phone anyway. She wished she could’ve eaten all of the cookies, but she wanted to leave some for her aunts. Surprisingly, they weren’t as irritating as usu- She spoke too soon. They came up after her and started to hug and kiss her. They were saying things like “I love you so much” and “You’re so adorable!”. Spinel tried to wiggle out of their grip, but they were too strong. They started squeezing her harder and kissing her. “GAH! Let go! I can’t breathe!” Spinel (practically panting) said. The aunts let go of her. She stumbled a little when let go, but she got her balance and headed towards the media room. “Goodbye Spryng- I mean, Spinel.” Bianca said as she left. Spinel was already having a few doubts about staying here for the weekend.

  
  


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Peeps got her iced water and drove towards the school. I was a long way there, so she didn’t think that Spinel made it there, traveling by foot. Maybe she called a cab or something. But Peeps was still checking the sidewalks for her in case she didn’t call a cab. By the time she got to the school, It was already past noon. It was actually almost 2 pm, though for some reason her car said 13:57. She wanted to change the settings, but she felt like she didn’t need to. She parked her car and left the drink in there, in case Spinel wasn’t there. She got out and went into the building. For a moment She forgot about the whole kissing thing and sleeping with Spinel. But as soon as she went into the hallway, she instantly remembered. Students were looking at her in different ways. Some looks were mocking her, some were disappointed in her, and the rest were just in plain confusion.

“Why was she kissing Spinel?” One student said.

“I dunno, maybe they’re dating”

“Whatever. Penelope shouldn’t date that _monster._ ”

Peeps ran through the hallway, not listening or looking at anyone. She just needed to find Spinel. This wasn’t like her at all, pushing away her friends just to see her crush who may or may not love her back. She was prioritizing the wrong thing, but she didn’t care. Once she got by the dorm rooms, she knocked on Spinel’s door. “Spinel! Please… open up.” She knocked a second time. She figured nobody was there. Peeps decided that she checked the art room because Spinel told her she liked that room, but she didn’t tell her why. She went to the art room but the door was locked. She looked through the window and didn’t see anyone. Peeps was about to give up hope but then she remembered another place. It was the pool area. Peeps ran across the entire school to get to the pool area. She looked all around. Spinel wasn’t there. Peeps figured that Spinel wasn’t even in the school. She didn’t know where else to look for her. She didn’t know where Spinel lived so that was out of the question. Peeps sat down on a bench and started to cry.

“I messed everything up… I messed up my friendships and my reputation… I don’t know what to do anymore. I…” Footsteps came up to Peeps. Peeps didn’t bother trying to look at who it was. She was too embarrassed. The person sat down and started to talk with a voice that was chill and raspy. She recognized this voice. “Hey, I’m seeing that you’re having a pretty crappy day.” It was Amy Thatcher (amethyst ya know jscxzjshjsxs). Peeps pouted. “Yeah… today was bad…” Amy patted Peeps back. “Y’know, I heard about the whole thing with you datin’ Spinel.” Peeps turned her head in the other direction. She wished that she didn’t bring it up. Peeps wished that she could date Spinel for real, and not for it to be a misunderstanding. She remembered early this morning where she saw the photos on Yolanda’s phone. She wanderers who could’ve spread such lies. “I guess… the entire school probably knows it by now.”

Amy nodded. “Well, is it true? Are ya dating her?” Peeps shook her head briskly. “No, we aren’t dating. All she wanted to do was have comfort. From a nightmare. And she was crying and shaking from having that nightmare… I believe that she had some kind of trauma in her past. I also believe that the same trauma was the reason she attacked the school. But it could just be me, I’m not sure.” Amy gulped, knowing exactly what happened to Spinel, since Steven told her. “Well um… you’re right…” Peeps looked back at Amy incredulously. “Are you serious?” Amy nodded. “Come with me. We need to talk about this in private.”

Amy got up and started walking out of the pool area. Peeps followed behind her. She was about 2 feet taller than Amy. She wanted to know exactly what happened to Spinel and what she could do to help. The sooner she can help Spinel, the sooner she has to apologize to her friends and clean up this whole mess. But one thing she knew for sure: Spinel and her had no chances of ever becoming a couple. Just then, Peeps remembered that she got Spinel’s phone number a long time ago. That was when they were acquaintances and not awkward friends. She decided to text her. “Hey Amy. I’ll catch up in a bit, I'm going to text someone.” “Alright.” Peeps got her phone out and scrolled down. She hasn’t texted her since Spinel asked for the answers to one of the English tests they had to take. Peeps just told her some of the answers, just because she felt guilty about being in love with her. Spinel did get frustrated when Peeps didn’t tell her some answers, but she wasn’t for long. Peeps didn’t want to make Spinel look illiterate so she only told her 2 of the hard questions. Peeps chuckled at the memory. She decided to start texting her something new.

  
  


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Spinel was in her 3rd round of playing shooting games with people online. One thing that she did like about being at her aunts’ house was that they were rich, and that she could ask for anything she wanted. She asked for the latest most expensive gaming console that was out there, and they gladly got it for her. Spinel’s birthday had already passed, but she couldn’t wait until next year, because her aunts would drown her in birthday gifts. _Hey! There’s still time until Christmas hehe._ Spinel thought as she continued playing her video game. Her phone was charging right beside her. It vibrated, meaning she had a notification. Spinel groaned. “Hold on guys lemme check my phone.” Spinel said to the three other people she was playing online with. They all said “Ok” and continued playing but at a minimum. Spinel opened her phone to see that someone texted her. She read the name ‘Penelope Parrat’ and rolled her eyes. She giggled a bit at the alliteration in her name, then continued to play her game.

She heard a knock on the door. It must be one of her aunts. She yelled “Come in!” And Bianca came in. “Hello, angel. I just wanted to check on you. So how are you doing?” Spinel knew that Bianca is the most “huggy kissy” one out of the three. She didn’t want her online friends to make fun of her. “Ok guys, I hafta’ log off for now. Cya later I guess.” The players said their goodbyes and Spinel left the game. Bianca frowned. “I hope I didn't interrupt anything with your friends…” Spinel sighed. “No no, it’s fine. I haven’t seen you guys in a while so I decided to just spend time with ya.” Bianca smiled. “Oh, you’re so sweet!” Bianca walked over to Spinel and picked her up like a baby. Spinel was surprised that she was this strong. Bianca started hugging and kissing her. Spinel tried to push her off but Bianca was too strong. “Oh angel. I love you so much, you’re so beautiful! You’re the most adorable thing I've ever seen…” Bianca went on and on about how cute Spinel was. She noticed that Bianca avoided saying her name. Spinel was grateful for that, but she couldn’t just keep calling her “angel”. That wasn’t her name. But Spinel loved her aunt, so she didn’t bother correcting her. 

“Heh, I love you too aunt BIanca but, could ya let me go? I’m not a baby ya know…” “Oh. Of course you aren’t. I guess I just didn’t get the chance to-” Bianca silenced herself. She put Spinel down and started to walk towards the door. Spinel was confused for a moment, but then realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Spinel reached a hand out towards her. “Wait! I didn’t mean to-” Bianca closed the door behind her. Spinel frowned and sat down in a nearby bean bag. She slapped her forehead and slumped down in the seat. She groaned. 

_Spinel what were you thinking? Are you genuinely stupid? Be careful about whatcha’ say ya dumb idiot!_

Spinel tugged on her hair. “Leave me alone.”

_Great. Now you have to think about_ _her_. 

Spinel shook her head. “I’m just tired…”

_Don’t you think Bianca is tired too? We all are tired! You just didn’t think! Can ya even think? Did ya ever think about it? No! Ya didn’t._

Spinel started getting memories of her past. She scrunched her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think about it. She _did_ want the voices in her head to stop. The voices sounded like her mother. They kept calling her name. No, not ‘Spinel’. It was her real name. Spryng. With her eyes still closed, she buried her head into the bean bag she was sitting in. She started breathing heavily. There were butterflies in her stomach. She thought of an idea. Water. Water is good, right? She just needed to drink some water and it would calm her down. She opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn’t in the media room anymore. She wasn’t even in the mansion anymore. She found herself laying on the concrete. She saw ivory colored pillars with vines tangled around them.

She was in the garden.

  
  


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Amy has led Peeps to her dorm room. Amy’s roommates went home for the day so the room was all hers. She invited Peeps to sit down on a sette and sat down. “Amy...what happened to Spinel?” There was a mix of curiosity, fear, and condolence in Peeps voice. Amy took a deep breath. “It’s a lot to take in. Get ready.” Peeps nodded and Amy had her undivided attention. Amy explained in the nest way she could. 

“When Spinel was younger, maybe about 7 years old, she used to play with her mother in this garden. They had lots of fun together, playing in that garden for hours. They would tell jokes, have snacks, and all kinds of other fun things. Her mother was… not the best caretaker though…” Peeps thought about that last part. She understood that no mother was perfect, and that they were allowed to make mistakes. But whatever her mother did had to be bad. Amy took another deep breath, because when she first heard this story from Steven, she was heartbroken. “What Spinel’s mother wanted most was for world peace. So no wars, no discrimination, no poverty and other problems that the world still has. She just wanted everyone to be equal. Her sisters own a lot of companies, that's why they are so rich. There was one business that Pink wanted to own since she didn’t own any. She begged and begged for that business. One day, two of her sisters gave her the company, just to see how she would do. Her mother was so excited to finally own a company. Spinel was right beside her and heard the news too. She was mostly excited because that company owned an amusement park. They would be able to go on rides and get cotton candy. After they got done talking with her sisters, something… happened…” 

Peeps was following the story. She understood what was happening, but she was wondering what happened next. Amy closed her eyes and looked at Peeps with a bereaved expression. Peeps had a feeling it would be bad. Amy continued. “Spinel was happy for her mother... She was excited to move on to bigger better things. She was incredibly loyal to her mom. She would do anything for her. So one day, Spinel’s mom told her to play a game with her. It was supposed to be a game of freeze tag, I think. So Spinel’s mom told her to stand still in the garden. And uh…” Amy’s voice sounded choked up. Peeps was only imagining the worst possible things. “What did she do to her?” Amy sighed sadly. “She… she abandoned Spinel there… for almost a decade.”

Peeps’ eyes widened like saucers. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts and questions. She was taken aback. She couldn’t understand how somebody’s mother could abandon their own child. Peeps felt like crying, and this didn’t even happen to her. _I need to get to Spinel, now more than ever. She could guess what the nightmare was about. Being trapped in the garden for all those years._ Peeps felt like she got stabbed in the chest. She couldn't imagine the pain that Spinel must be going through. Peeps spoke up. “I need to get to her right now! Amy, do you have an idea where she lives?” Amy nodded. “I know where she lives, but you should give her time to breathe. If she sees you, she might feel worse.” The disappointing, but true point Amy said was true. She needs to let Spinel relax. When the weekend is over, then she can try and contact her. Peeps still felt useless so she took out her phone and texted Spinel a simple heart emoji. But Peeps still wonders, is Spinel ever receive her text messages? 

  
  


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Spinel couldn’t move. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, either. She felt… empty. And pitiful. She was sitting. on that concrete floor, rocking back and forth in a ball. She couldn’t close her eyes anymore. She had to wait. She had to wait for her mother to come back. She would not miss any second of her mother opening the gate. She waited for her. 

But instead she got a message instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! And thank you Ms. Baguetty for giving me the office idea! Also i think I make this into 13 chapters at the most. Thank you for checking out this unplanned fanfic about Spinearl lmao


	7. Think About It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps reflects on what happened this entire day and what she has done to make a fool of herself while Spinel is relaxing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK OVER A WEEK! there was just some stuff going on irl and some technical difficulties with my laptop. I worked very hard on this chapter despite my stupid writers block so sorry if its boring or disappointing!

Peeps didn’t know what to do with herself.

She decided to just stay at school for today, and maybe go home tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to take a nap. After she would wake up, she would have to apologize to Belle and Yolanda, since she won’t be going after Spinel. Then she would have to clear things up with her reputation. But Peeps was all too tired from this. Also hearing about Spinel’s past made her almost cry. She put her phone on the nightstand next to her so it could charge while she’s asleep. She took off her shoes and layed on top of the covers. It would only be a nap after all. She got in a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She had paced breathing and a relaxed face. She soon felt herself sleeping away her anxieties and fears. She hopes that when she wakes up, she would feel a lot better and will handle things correctly.

  
  
  


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Spinel heard a buzzing sound in the distance. With tears still in her eyes, she looked around. She looked for whatever was making that sound. The buzzing noise continued. She uncradled herself and stood up. She stood up and walked towards the sound. She squinted her eyes and tried to see through her tears, and in the dark. With one last buzzing sound, Spinel realized that it was her phone and walked forward. Once she reached the phone she picked it up. The screen was off. Her hands were trembling.

Using her thumb, she turned the phone on. The screen lit up. Spinel shut her eyes; the only other light was the stars, and they were distant, so this brightness alarmed her. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked at her phone again. It was showing 1 notification. A text message. It was from Penelope. Again. She opened the message. She sent an emoji.

A heart emoji.

Spinel blinked. What was this supposed to be? An apology? A trick? A _thank you?_ Thank you for what? What did this mean? Spinel thought of many meanings to this simple message. But then it finally hit her. This heart was supposed to be an ‘I love you’. Spinel wouldn’t accept that. Why would somebody like Peeps ever love her? Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it didn’t mean she loves her. Maybe Peeps meant to send it to somebody else. Spinel didn’t care. She didn’t feel like figuring it out.

She felt a pat on her shoulder. It was her aunt, Wylda. Then Spinel felt a sharp pain in that same spot. It was a syringe with stellate ganglion block in it. She winced at the pain, but soon she saw the garden disappear. She fell into Wylda’s arms. Wylda kissed Spinel on the forehead. “It’s ok, Spinel. I’m here for you.” Spinel was thankful for Wylda using her correct name. Spinel felt comfortable. She shut her eyes and hugged her aunt. Wylda hugged her back. “Dear, none of us will ever leave you, ok?” Spinel started crying again, but she nodded. Wylda pat Spinel’s head gently, trying to soothe her. It worked, Spinel stopped sobbing, but tears were still coming out of her eyes.

Wylda sighed. “Oh dear… I’m so sorry…” Wylda used her thumb to wipe Spinel’s tears. Wylda took out a band-aid from her purse and put it where she stuck the syringe. Spinel opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in the media room. She looked up to see her aunt smiling at her. “I love you very much, Spinel. Nothing can ever change that.” Spinel felt like crying again, but not for sad reasons. For _happy_ reasons. Spinel tried speaking. “I… I love you too.” Wylda grinned and kissed Spinel’s forehead again.

Spinel felt a lot better for now, but she was afraid of this happening again. She didn’t want to live like this for the rest of her life. _I wish that I could just… forget that this evah’ happened to me. I wish that it never happened… But I guess I have… some people that care ‘bout me._ They hugged each other for a while until Spinel’s legs started falling asleep. “Ouch, ok Wylda. I’m going to get up now, ouch.” Wylda frowned. “Your legs are asleep?” Spinel nodded. Wylda let go and got up. Spinel’s legs wobbled a little, but she got up anyways. Spinel sighed and touched her shoulder. “Thank you, Wylda. I’m just… I’ll go to my room now.” Wylda nodded and kissed Spinel on the cheek. “Ok dear. And remember: If you need anything just tell us, ok?” Spinel nodded and walked out of the room. 

She headed towards the giant stairs that led to the next level of this huge building. She knows this building like the back of her hand. When her aunts took custody of her last year, she spent all summer running around the halls and memorizing this place. Other than her aunts and herself, there were some butlers and maids in the mansion. Spinel knew all of their names and always treated them kindly. There was a maid cleaning up something on the next level. She seemed to be cleaning up something that spilled. The maid was right in Spinel’s path. Spinel didn’t feel like talking right now. She felt like laying down in her bed with the window wide open so sunlight would come in. But her aunts taught her common courtesy, she had to show it. “Um, excuse me? I need to get to my room, please.” The maid turned around to see who it was. When she saw Spinel standing there, the maid nearly jumped. “Oh! I’m sorry Miss. Spryng I-” Spinel interrupted her with her voice. “I go by _Spinel_ now. That’s my name. Call me it.” Spinel didn’t really have the patience right now. “I’m so sorry Miss. Spinel. I’ll just move…” The maid got up and moved to the left of the hallway. Spinel gave the maid a hug before she continued walking to her room. The maid was taken aback but accepted the hug. 

By the time Spinel reached her room she was already so tired. Her room was on the third floor, and there were a lot of stairs. She turned the door handle and pushed the door open. She was greeted with jasmine-scented candles. She entered the room. Her bed was untouched since school started. It was a king sized bed. She wasn't even that big, so it was confusing to her why her aunt's insisted on giving her this huge bed. It had light pink covers and four fluffy pillows. It was a big comfy bed to herself. She took off her shoes and fell onto the bed. She squeezed the pillow and smiled. She felt like sleeping. But she wasn't that tired. Only a little.

She got off of the bed and walked up the stairs in her bedroom to the loft. There was a settee with a table right next to it in case she just wanted to sit. Spinel didn’t want to sit right now. She looked at the glass doors that led to the balcony. She opened the door and walked out. She leaned herself against the fence and sighed. She didn’t know what she was going to do with herself. She didn't want to be abandoned. She didn’t want to be crazy. She just wanted a happy, normal life. She looked down to the ground. If she were to drop something down there, it wouldn’t make it in one piece. Spinel turned around and went back inside. 

Spinel felt a lot more tired now. She didn’t know why, but she just wanted to go to sleep. She walked down the stairs and sat back down on her bed. She took the elastics out of her hair and set them on the nightstand next to her bed. She was a bit hungry, even though she had cookies a few hours ago. She didn’t want to go back downstairs. She picked her phone back up and called one of the butlers.

  
  


\-----------------------

  
  
  


Peeps woke up. It was dark outside. She spent the entire afternoon sleeping all of the worries away. Her phone must have been charged by now so she got up and checked the time. It was almost 10 pm. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to help Spinel. But of course she needed some breathing space. She went to go back to the bed to sit down. Peeps couldn’t understand. Why couldn’t she figure out a real way to help her? She was just confused as ever. She couldn’t think normally every time she thought of her. She knew she was in love, but was she _obsessed?_ She thought of every feature of Spinel’s face, trying to memorize it. She started smiling when she thought of the moments they had together. It was almost a whole month into school and they only shared one class. Maybe next semester they will have gym class together. And boy, was Peeps looking forward to that… for reasons.

Peeps started giggling to herself.

~~_ThethoughtofseeingSpinelinatanktopwithshortsonshowingherthighsandrunningaroundthegymsweatingandpantingmadeherwanttosquealwithhappiness._ ~~

_Oh my… I might actually be obsessed with her._ ~~it's not you, it's the autho~~ r

_These are terrible thoughts to be thinking about when someone is not in the right mind… but she’s not here. And even if she were here She couldn’t hear me… these thoughts are all to myself. I have nothing else important to do tonight._

What Peeps didn’t know was that she wasn’t obsessed. She was just in love with her. Madly. But she needed to be thoughtful of Spinel’s emotions. She couldn’t just tell Spinel that she loves her out of the blue. She did kiss her though. Peeps remembered that and started feeling guilty. What if Spinel didn’t even like her? What if she was nervous or grossed out? Peeps gasped as she realized something way worse. “I stole Spinel’s first kiss!” Peeps tugged her hair and groaned. She acted like a total idiot. She really needed to patch things up. She was so desperate for love that she kissed her while she was having a mental breakdown. Peeps knew that love made you do stupid things but this was crossing the line for her.

_What would my parents think about this… What would they say?_

Peeps really didn’t want to think about her parents. They were… not so good to her. Especially her mother. She didn’t want to talk about them, nor think about them. But she couldn’t help it. With all the dumb stuff she did today she felt like she _had_ to talk to them. She didn’t know where her mother was, but she still had her father’s phone number. Peeps remembered the last time she saw her father. Her birthday last year; December 17. Her father bought her a car and a t.v. She was thankful for that. Her father was doing a lot better than her mother was. Peeps shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about them. 

She touched her injured eye, remembering how it got like that. Peeps shuddered at the memory and frowned. She could barely see out of it. It was always shut. It didn't look so bad anymore, so she stopped wearing an eye patch. Students in primary school, -specifically when she was 11 years old- used to pick at her for wearing an eyepatch. Calling her names and throwing drinks at her. When she got older, the bullying got worse. Kids her age got more interested in social media. Kids would post pictures of her and spread stupid rumors of how she got her eye hurt. Peeps was in a depressed state of mind. She was usually a successful student. She got some of the highest test scores in the entire school. But the bullying held her back. She tried ignoring it and even throwing insults back. But nothing worked. She used to talk to Belle and Yolanda for comfort and assistance. Belle invited her over to her house and they would talk things out. Yolanda would curse at the bullies and bully them back. Peeps was grateful for both of them, even if they didn’t even know how her eye got like that.

Peeps was too embarrassed to tell anyone. She was also afraid. Afraid that her mom would know she told someone. She cried everyday after school and sometimes would hide in her room all day. Of course, she still tried her best to do her work and get good grades. But with keeping all of the abuse and hurt inside of her, it made schoolwork difficult. She tried ignoring her feelings for so long that one day, she just snapped. She put on a fake smile on her face and pretended everything was fine. She let her mother control her. She didn’t think for herself unless it was for schoolwork. People around her started noticing this. Peeps felt like a puppet. A shadow of her former self. She felt more… empty. And she couldn’t escape the pit of emptiness she was falling into.

Peeps started getting teary eyed. She knew that she was doing a lot better now but it still hurt to think about. She wiped her eye with a tissue and got up. She needed a drink. She needed to clear her mind. She opened the cooler and searched for a water bottle. She grabbed one and opened the top. She started chugging it down. After she couldn’t breathe she stopped drinking. She exhaled and closed the door to the cooler. She went back over to her bed and sat down with the water in her hand. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She sat the bottle next to her phone on the nightstand and turned on the light. Belle and Yolanda probably went home so Peeps was free to do whatever she wanted as long as it didn’t break rules. If Yolanda was here, she would rudely tell Peeps to turn off the light. Peeps took another sip of her cold water. She tried to stop the tears from falling out of her eye but the memories were all coming back to her. She grabbed another tissue and wiped her eye. She felt sadder now. 

She put the water back on the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She decided to scroll through social media to ease her mind. Just when she was about to open up an app a notification appeared on her phone. It was from the school staff. She read the message and it said:

  
  


**DEAR STUDENT,**

**DUE TO REASONS WE CANNOT SHARE, SCHOOL HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THREE ADDITIONAL DAYS. PLEASE TRY AND STUDY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN UNTIL SCHOOL RESUMES ON THURSDAY. THANK YOU.**

**SCHOOL STAFF.**

  
  


Peeps blinked twice. She was relieved. As any student would be. They had an extended weekend! This meant that Peeps would have more time to herself. But she still had a lot of questions. Why was school canceled? Why did they send this message at 10 pm? The message also didn’t seem official. There was no reason to cancel school. At this time of year, the only reason they would get a break from school was Thanksgiving. But that wasn’t until an entire 2 months since it was late September. Maybe something was going on with the staff. Peeps decided to not question it any further. She was just glad she could catch a break. This also gave her enough time to clear up the rumours about her and Spinel dating. And to apologize to her friends; the ones that were always there for her. Belle and Yolanda. Peeps sighed. She had a lot to take care of tomorrow. She drank the rest of the water and turned off the light. She went under the covers and soon went back to bed.

  
  
  


\------------------------------

  
  


Spinel was sitting on the edge of her bed eating all the snacks she asked for. She was watching comedy shows on her large t.v. She was very privileged and her aunts were definitely spoiling her. Spinel wasn’t usually a slob. She was eating mostly candy and cookies and drinking soda. When she asked for all of this, the butler on the phone sounded worried about Spinel’s health, but he got them for her anyways in fear of being yelled at. Bianca had already baked chocolate chip cookies for her so the butler brought those too. Spinel wasn’t even full. She had eaten all of her cookies but only some of her candy. She was laughing at the comedian while drinking some soda. 

The comedian started to tell another joke. “My dad is so cheap that when he dies he’s going to walk towards the light… and turn it off!” Spinel nearly choked on her soda. She was very corny and so was this comedian. Spinel fell back on her bed. She landed on some candy but she was laughing too hard to care. She was kicking her legs in the air and laughing even more. “Wowza! This show is so funny!” It really wasn’t that funny, just corny. After the episode was over Spinel decided that she wanted to play some video games instead. She switched to the console that was hooked up to the T.V. It was a different one than the console she used downstairs in the media room. She didn’t mind. The tiredness she had before was long gone thanks to all the sugar that she had. She wanted to play the same shooting game that she played before, or she could play a different kind of game. Mystery games, perhaps. She wanted to play the top mystery game there was. Before she went to go download it online, her phone buzzed. She put the controller down and went to go see what it was. She opened the notification. It was from school. She read it and it said school was out until Thursday. 

Spinel giggled and cheered. She hated school and she was glad it was canceled for a while. Even though she had to go to school on Thursday and Friday, it would be the weekend all over again. Spinel had all the time in the world to slack off and play video games. She also had time to reconnect with her aunts, even if they were too much sometimes. She also wanted to call Steven this weekend. She still feels pretty awkward around him after the “event”. But it felt like the right thing to do. He was her half sibling after all. But they haven’t even talked to each other since the “event”. Spinel really didn’t want to talk to Steven. Because he looked so much like her… He looked a lot like her mom. They had almost identical noses. The same curly hair… They even had the same intentions sometimes. Making the world a better place. Steven did a lot better at spreading world peace, even if it was just two rivaling cities he brought together. Spinel still felt guilty about what she did. But she still felt like she needed to make up for it. And she needed to talk to someone who understood exactly what she’s going through. She knew that her aunts were giving her shots and antidepressants. That helped sometimes. But she did need to talk to someone. Maybe she could hire a therapist. But Steven was good for now. She went to her contacts and scrolled down to one that said “Steven”. She looked at the call button. It was 10 pm so he must be sleeping. She sighed and decided that she would just text him.

Before Spinel started typing, she thought of everything that had happened today. The rumors, the picnic, and how he had a mental breakdown. So many things can happen in one day. She wonders what would happen tomorrow. She starts typing in a message.

  
  


**Heya, Steven. Sorry to bother ya but do ya mind talking tomorrow? I haven’t been feeling well lately.**

She turned off her phone and put it on the nightstand. She didn’t feel like playing video games anymore. She turned off the T.V. and wiped the trash off of her bed. The maid can handle that. She took the food she hadn’t eaten and set them on a table. She would eat that stuff tomorrow. She was already wearing pajamas, which was just a large T- shirt and some (very) short shorts. She buried herself under the covers of her bed and cuddled the pillow. Spinel sighed and spoke out loud. 

“Man. What am I gonna do with myself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gosh i swear. there might be a mini hiatus after this chapter so please bear with me! I really wanna continue working on this but i do have problems irl. if you really wanna know then all i can say is i relate deeply with Peeps. I am doing my best to be better. Also im already planning the next chapter (mentally). I never actually plan my chapters at all lol. Thank you for reading!


	8. Flawless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinel talks to an old friend while Peeps tries to fix her problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKOKOKOKOK SORRY THAT THIS TOOK AN ENTIRE MONTH TO WRITE
> 
> like i said before there are some irl problems going on but i still managed to finish this  
> I SWEAR PEEPS AND SPINEL WILL GET TOGETHER SOON BEAR WITH ME!!

The sunlight was pouring in through the window. Some birds were chirping. It was almost 9 am. The sun felt warm on her skin. She was sleeping peacefully. She felt like sleeping all day. Some hair was covering her face. Anybody looking at her would think she had such a peaceful night and was having a pleasant dream. They would be right about one part. She did not have a good night. Though it wasn’t necessarily bad either. They wouldn’t be right about the dream. This girl wasn’t dreaming. She was remembering. This “dream” was about what happened yesterday. She started looking more stressed. She was mumbling something that one would not understand. She started sweating. It seemed as if she was having a bad memory. A nightmare.

Spinel woke up. She sat up and covered her face with her left hand. She used the other hand to grab her pillow. Spinel had  _ that _ nightmare again. She wished that the nightmare would stop. She doesn’t want to be tortured by her brain every night. The medicine that Wylda gave her should have helped. Well maybe it did, because it wasn’t as bad as it was last time. And she woke up at 8 am instead of 5:30 am. Spinel was hungry now. She looked over to the table where she put her unfinished snacks. She couldn’t eat Jolly Ranchers for breakfast even if she wanted to. She had to get an actual breakfast herself. 

With a dragged out (and slightly annoyed) groan, Spinel got out of her bed and headed towards her closet. She opened it to find mostly night clothes and shoes. She tried finding an actual outfit. Most of her clothes were at school. She mumbled to herself. “I should probably keep most of my clothes here from now on...” Spinel started looking in the drawers for something to wear. She found a simple black dress with light pink horizontal lines on it. “Hm. Good enough.” She took that dress and went to go put it on.

After she got ready, she walked to the door. She stepped on a candy wrapper on the way. She had forgotten that she just threw all of her trash on the floor. That poor maid. She shrugged and went out of the door. “Now I gotta walk down these giant stairs…” Spinel started running down the stairs. She was on the third level after all, and it would be a long way down.

  
  
  


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Peeps woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Who could be calling her at this time of day? She groaned and grabbed her phone. She squinted her eye to read the name. 

**“YOLANDA”**

Peeps pressed the “answer” button. “Hello?” Peeps was nervous. She hasn’t even thought about what she would say to her yet. Whatever it was, she needed to be honest. She needed to apologize to her. Then she would have to say the same to Belle. She had a long day of repairs ahead of her. She was waiting for Yolanda to respond. Then she hung up.  _ Hm. That was weird. Why would she call me if she was just gonna hang up? Maybe it was an accident. _ Peeps put her phone away and got up. She couldn’t sleep anymore. She needed to fix all of her problems. She made up her bed and started her daily morning routine. The simplest routine. A routine that-

Someone opened the door and yelled “Peeps! Come quickly!”. Peeps was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She spit out the water and yelled back. “I’m doing my morning ro-” “No time! We gotta go!” It was Belle. “What are you talki-” Belle ran to the bathroom and grabbed Peeps’ arm. “Come on. Now!” Belle dragged Peeps out of her room. “Let me get dressed first!” Belle nodded and waited. If Belle was in a hurry, Peeps needed to just get a dress out quickly. She grabbed a simple pink dress and put it on over her nightgown. She grabbed her purse as well, just in case she needed something. Belle grabbed her hand again and started running out of the room again. Peeps was utterly confused, but it must be important. But if it was important, then why hasn’t Peeps been notified about it? “Woah woah wait! Where are we going?” Belle ignored her and started running faster. Peeps was trying to catch up to Belle despite being dragged by her.

They were headed outside. Peeps was suspicious of Belle. Belle didn’t explain anything that was happening. Once they made it to the door, Belle pushed Peeps behind her. “Look at what is happening out here.” Belle cracked the door open. Students were yelling and arguing. Peeps looked around to see who the student’s were. She couldn’t recognize any of them. Yolanda was in front of the crowd, trying to reason with the angry students. “Why are they arguing? Why are they yelling at Yolanda?” Belle turned to look at Peeps. “Well you got the message where school is cancelled for most of the week right?” Peeps nodded. “Some students are pretty confused and even angry about it. Yolanda and I have been trying to reassure the students that everything is ok. Even if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Peeps sighed. She has to deal with even more problems today. “And you need my help, don’t you?” Belle nodded. “You know that I’m too nice to yell back at the students, and even if I got their attention, they wouldn’t listen. Yolanda on the other hand is a little hot headed. You are the perfect balance. The students look up to you the most.” Peeps shook her head. “Belle, have you forgotten about the entire… thing? Between me and Spinel? The teachers might think that I’m a bad example to younger students. They don’t want to see me being around her.” Belle sighed and held Peeps’ hands. A soft and reassuring voice came when she said “Listen, just because you made one mistake doesn't mean that people hate you now. You were trying to help Spinel, that’s all. I didn’t understand before but now I do. I have been thinking about it lately. It all makes sense now. I’m sorry that I didn't understand before.” 

Belle was sincere and honest about that statement, and Peeps knew it. She was so thankful to have an understanding friend like Belle. “Thank you, Belle. I will try my best to help you and Yolanda.” Belle smiled and opened the door wider. They started walking out of the door. “How many people are here?” Peeps asked. Belle counted in her head. “Only about 20 people.” “I can work with that.” Peeps took a deep breath to clear her mind. She needed to figure out what to say to them. Once she thought of something good, she went after the students. Some were cursing and yelling, while most students were confused and constantly asking questions. “Why is school canceled?”

“Will my tests be due on Thursday or Friday instead of tomorrow?”

“Tell us what's going on!”

Yolanda shooshed them to get them to be quiet “Listen! I am trying to speak-” Peeps tapped Yolanda’s shoulders. “I got it from here. You can go take a break. You tried.” Yolanda clearly wasn’t in the mood to argue with that, so she walked away from the students. Peeps took her place. She grabbed a whistle out of her purse and blew out of it. The students all stopped talking and looked at Peeps with undivided attention. “Look, I’m not sure why school is canceled, but you should take this up with the staff, and not us fellow students. And even if we did know, you shouldn’t be yelling or cursing at others. You should all just go home now. Relax until the staff can figure thighs out.” The crowd was murmuring and deciding on what to do. They all agreed with Peeps and started going back inside. There was one student who raised their hand. “I have only one question, Penelope.” Peeps walked over to the student. She knew this girl. It was Lalielle Lazuli. She was in the same grade as her, and they shared two classes: Homeroom and Math. “What is it?” Lalielle smirked a bit. 

“Well this might not have to do with anything that’s going on, I mean I’m glad that school’s cancelled I just had questions. But anyways, this is more of a personal question…” Peeps gulped. She was a little afraid of what she was going to ask her. She hoped the question wasn’t too personal. Lalielle can be intimidating at times, even if Peeps was a year older than her. Lalielle came closer to Peeps and whispered in her ear. 

“Do you have a crush on Spinel?”

  
  
  


\------------------

  
  


Spinel finally made it all the way downstairs and into the dining room. She asked for some eggs, toast, and bacon with orange juice as a drink. Her breakfast was made as quickly as possible, but still high quality. She took her fork and started eating all of the scrambled eggs. She didn’t waste any time breathing at all. When she got finished, she left her dishes on the table and ran to the living room. She had her phone with her. She stared at it for a little. Last night, she decided that she would talk to Steven. She hasn't talked to him in a couple of months. But she felt like they needed to keep in touch. They were half siblings, after all. And Spinel never got a chance to thank Steven for helping her. 

She turned on her phone and went to her contacts. Once she saw “Steven Universe”, her heart raced. Spinel was very nervous about this, but she didn’t know why. Steven was a very good person, and he wouldn’t judge anybody. He was especially nice to her, even thought she had tried to hurt him. Badly. Spinel would be in juvenile if it weren’t for Steven. Spinel had to thank him for that. She had to apologize to him too. All she did was leave when things cooled down from the “event”. Spinel didn’t know what to say or what to do back then. Her aunts just swept her off her feet and took her home. What was Spinel supposed to do when her aunts begged her to come home? She wasn’t planning on going with them. She was probably going to run away to another city. One that was far, far away from Hometown or Beach City. Then again, how would she even survive in another city? No food, shelter, or anybody to help her. She was more than thankful to be living with her aunts and getting a good education. She had to show it. 

Spinel pressed the “call” button. She waited for a while. He didn’t answer.  _ Maybe I can try again lat-  _

He called her back.

Spinel nearly dropped her phone as it vibrated. She grabbed it before it would descend to the ground. She was squeezing the phone with anxiety running through her veins. “Oh no. Oh god. Crap!” Spinel hasn’t felt this nervous since she had to speak French in front of her whole class. She got a 27% on that assignment, by the way. At least it wasn’t an important assignment. You can say that  **_“elle ne parle pas français.”_ ** She took a deep breath and answered the phone. “H-hello?” Spinel’s voice was shaky. She was thinking of hanging up and not talking to him at all.  _ Maybe we could just text? No no… that wouldn’t be right.... Dammit! Why am I so nervous?  _ Spinel gulped and waited for Steven to answer. Her body was practically vibrating like the phone was earlier.

“Hello? Spinel?”

Spinel freaked out. He actually said something. “Um, Hello?”  _ AHH! He said something’ again! What do I do?? HELP! _ Spinel stood in the living room, holding her phone with trembling hands. She needed to say something or Steven would hang up on her. She needed to find the right words to start off with. “Y-yes, uhh… I w-wanted to t-talk? To you… Because I w-wanna say sorrrrrr…” Spinel was stuck on saying the “R” in “Sorry”. She was way too nervous. “Spinel? Are you ok…? Is my phone broken or something…” Steven said over the phone. “N-no, it’s just me. I…” Spinel had to take a deep breath and speak. “I’m s-sorry. I’m very sorry for tryin’na hurt you… all those months ago. I still feel really bad about it. I acted so stupid! I was so hungry for revenge that I forgot how to act like a human being… I probably would've gone to juvie if it weren’t for you. Possibly even  real jail. And nobody would’ve wanted to bail me out… While I tried to destroy your life, ya saved mine. So, thank you. And I understand if you never want to talk to me again. If there are any more things you want me to repair or replace, I will do it.”

Steven was silent for a while. “Oh. Thank you! I accept your apology. Also, why would you think I wouldn’t want to talk to you? Just because you destroyed some parts of Homeworld High,you nearly broke my jaw, you burned some of my arm along with my jacket, you knocked out three of my family members, you tried to destroy my home...” “Steven I get the point. I did so many bad things. Why do you still even care about me?” Spinel heard Steven sigh on the phone. “Because, you’re my sister, and you need help. And I have a feeling that your apology wasn’t the only reason you called.” A small smile appeared on Spinel’s face when Steven called her “My Sister.” She felt like she belonged, somehow. “Well uh.. There is something else.” “What’s the matter, Spinel?” Spinel sighed. She was nervous to talk about this, even if she knew that she could trust Steven. 

“Well, you already know what mom did to me, right?” “Mhm.” Steven sort of felt responsible for what happened. Even if he had nothing to do with it. “I’m havin’ nightmares about it. At first, It wasn’t too bad, but over the weeks they have gotten worse. I wake up sweatin’, or cryin’ sometimes… Some days I even thought about skippin’ school, but I know I need to be caught up education-wise. I just… feel so terrible about what happened. Something that I will regret. I think of alternate ways that could have gone down. Maybe if I was less annoying…” Steven was silent on the other end. He felt terrible too. It didn’t even happen to him. “I felt so useless… I still feel that way.” Spinel heard Steven inhale. “Spinel, I’m feeling the same way.”

Spinel was shocked to hear those words come out of Steven’s mouth. “W-what? How-” “But this isn't about me right now. This is about how  _ you _ feel. I understand where you’re coming from. You’re upset. At the moment, I’m kinda going through my own crisis… And we do live far away from each other. But I do know a person who knows (sort of) what you’re going through.” Spinel was curious. “Who?” “Somebody named...

**_Penelope Parrat”_ **

  
  


\-----------------

  
  


Peeps looked at Lalielle incredulously. She was hoping that nobody would bring it up. Her heartbeat was so loud that people living two states away could hear it. Peeps didn’t like to lie. But she has done it before. Everyone has lied at least once in their life. She had to lie. She was too embarrassed to tell anyone just this yet. Especially when the last time she even saw Spinel was when she was upset. “W-why would you think that I-” “Because, I can just tell.” Lalielle Lazuli was a sarcasm queen. That bothered Peeps. A lot. “What do you mean by that?” Lalielle chuckled. “You already know what I mean. Do you want to  _ kiss _ her? Oh wait- you already have.” Peeps blushed and looked away from Lalielle. She looked anywhere but her face. “W-well, y-yes. I have kissed her b-but it didn’t mean anything. N-nothing at all…” Lalielle shook her head. “So you’re saying that the  _ coffee  _ made you kiss her? You must have felt something.” She got incredibly close to Peeps face that if she got any closer, her nose would pierce her eye.

Peeps was awfully intimidated by Lalielle. She couldn't tell why. Maybe it was because she was a part of the school newspaper club. Students in that club tend to be pressuring. They would follow people around and ask personal questions just for a good story. Whomever made those stories about her and Spinel sure was nosey…

_ Wait a minute. _

...

“You wrote those stories about us, didn’t you?”

Lalielle chuckled again and backed away from Peeps’ face. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. But I know that  _ you  _ didn’t answer my question.” Peeps looked at Lalielle, sort of disgusted. “W-why would you sabotage my reputation just for some stupid story?” Lalielle raised an eyebrow and looked at Peeps suspiciously. “So you  _ don’t _ like her? You think that if you date her, it would hurt your reputation? That’s… so vain. Perfect! I just need a few more details and-” “WAIT! It’s not like that!” Lalielle looks at Peeps with faux confusion. “Is that so? Explain.” Peeps didn’t know what to do in this situation. Should she tell the truth, explain and maintain her friendship with Spinel, or lie, save her reputation, and ruin her friendship?

Peeps had no idea what to do. Her heartbeat was getting faster and louder. “I… uh..” Lalielle stared straight into Peeps’ eye. Yolanda had just finished clearing things up with other students. She looked over at Peeps and her situation. Lalielle was pressuring her. Yolanda furrowed her eyebrows and marched over to them. “Just tell me. Are you in love with Spry-” “Hey you! What are you doing to her?” Lalielle stopped and turned towards Yolanda. “Well… if it isn’t Yolanda Peake.” Yolanda scoffed. “I know your game, Lazuli. You spread gossip.” Lalielle stepped away from Peeps. “Yeah, so what? It’s very entertaining. Without me, this school would be as dull as ever. And you’re lucky that I don’t have any dirt on you. Yet.” Yolanda scoffed and held her hand out to Peeps. “Come on, Peeps. Let me help you up” Peeps grabbed her hand. Her mind was as blank as a piece of paper. She was white with fear. “Aww… Poor little Penelope…” Lalielle said with false reassurance.

Yolanda rolled her eyes and hugged Peeps. “It’s ok, Peeps. Whatever she said to you, don't take it seriously. She’s just a jerk.” Lalielle gasped. “I’m no jerk! I’m just doing my job! No hard feelings at all.” “Look, I don’t care if you’re lying or not but you shouldn’t be so mean to my friend.” Peeps shook her head and snapped out of the blank state she was in. She had heard what Yolanda said. “R-really..? You really feel that way about me, Yolanda?” Yolanda nodded . She may seem tough and sassy on the outside, but on the inside she really cares about the people she loves. But she is still sassy. “Ok. Now back to you, Lazu- Wait. Where did she go?” Yolanda and Peeps looked around to see that Lalielle had disappeared. They were the only ones outside. All the other students must have left.

Yolanda looked up at the sky. It was slowly turning grey. She sniffed the air. It smelled of petrichor. “Yep. It’s definitely going to rain soon. We should head inside, Peeps.” Peeps nodded and they walked inside the building. Once they got inside, Belle was waiting for them. “Oh thank goodness you guys are inside. I heard it was going to rain soon.” Peeps smiled. She was relieved. Not because of the rain she avoided, but because she believes that she finally patched things up with her closest friends. Or at least, she had gotten on good terms with them. Belle already understood what was going on with Peeps, and she was thankful for that, even if she didn’t know how. Yolanda may not know exactly what was going on, but she was nice to her either way. She was hoping to catch Yolanda alone so they could talk things out. Peeps hasn’t even officially apologized. “Well of course! I knew it was going to rain. Wouldn’t want my hair to get all wet…” Yolanda said. “We should probably go to our room for a while, until it stops raining.” Peeps suggested. Belle nodded and agreed. “I think we should.” Yolanda replied. They left the hallway and went upstairs to the rooms.

Once they reached their room, Belle opened the door. She turned on the lights and they all went inside. Peeps looked out of the window. “Look how dark it is outside!’ Yolanda looked where Peeps’ was looking. “And it’s not even 10 yet!” “There might be a thunderstorm…” Belle said, checking the weather on her phone.” Yolanda looked at Belle sort of frightened. “D-did you say th-thunderstorm?” Belle nodded. “Are you scared, Yolanda? I thought you were fearless.” Peeps said. Yolanda rolled her eyes. “I’m not scared, just annoyed. It’s gonna be all wet once we can go out there again. I hate the rain!” “Well I really like the rain. It’s sort of… calming to me.” Belle replied, going towards the window with the other two. “I mean… I guess. But what about the lightning? Isn't that scary?” Belle and Peeps nodded. “It could electrocute someone…” Belle said.

Peeps walked away from the window and sat on her bed. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She clicked on Spinel. She hasn't replied back at all. Peeps sighed. She remembered what Amy said to her. She had to give Spinel some time to breathe. Peeps wondered if Spinel was safe and sound in her own home during the thunderstorm. She hopes that Spinel isn’t mad at her.

  
  


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“You said WHO!?” Spinel said, yelling into her phone. “Penelope Parrat.... I know that you two go to the same school.” Spinel’s heartbeat went up again. She tried all this time to forget about Peeps. Now that her name was mentioned again, she thought about what happened yesterday.  _ She kissed me! And I  _ _ liked _ _ it… How can she possibly know what I’m goin’ through? _ Spinel was ready to say that out loud. “How can she-” “I’ll tell you. But not over the phone. You can come over to my beach house and I’ll tell you. Unless school’s in the way or something…” Spinel smiled. “Nah, school is canceled ‘till Thursday for some reason. I can come over.” “Great! We can meet up in the afternoon. Bye!” And with that, Steven hung up.  _ Well, that wasn’t so bad.  _

Spinel left the living room and headed towards the stairs. She needed to get a real outfit out and go traveling to Beach City. She would have to go up all of those stairs again.

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**_**ONE HOUR LATER**_ **

  
  


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After she got out a decent outfit, she put it on and looked in the mirror. She was wearing a black hoodie that went down to her waist. She wore hot pink jean shorts with white stockings and pink Nike's. She winked at herself and left her room. “Hello, Spinel! Where are you headed?” Ysobel said. But Spinel ran past her. Ysobel looked angry. “Spinel! I’m talking to you so you better listen!” Spinel stopped running. She turned around to Ysobel. “My bad.” Ysobel shook her head. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say.” Spinel sighed. “I’m sorry.” Ysobel looked at Spinel with an ice cold expression. “I’m sorry,  _ ma’am. _ ” Spinel needed to be polite or else her aunts would get bored of her. Or at least that’s what she thought. “That’s better. Now, where are you going?” Ysobel walked towards Spinel. “I’m going out today. I'll be back before 7 pm. It won’t take long.” Ysobel smiled. “Alright. Just don’t get into too much trouble.” Spinel nodded and continued her way out of the mansion.

She opened the huge doors and left. She was on her way to find out Peep’s past, so they could have a better future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =this is the longest chapter so far. i already have plans for the next one so don't worry!!


	9. Cloudburst part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeps talks things out with Yolanda and Belle while Spinel learns about Peeps' past from Steven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sidhcfoirgeisof[weg this took like 3 months I'm so sorry!! I just got held back by the holidays and stuff. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The road to Beach City was long. It was going to take 4 hours to get there. Finding a cab was hard enough already. Once Spinel had found one, she got in and started playing on her phone to pass time. It was at 92% since she used some to call Steven. The driver was a man, but Spinel didn’t pay much attention to him. He wasn’t trying to talk to her anyways. He was talking to people on his own phone. Spinel didn’t care about him. The important thing was that he got her to Steven’s house. She played video games for about two hours. Once she got bored, she checked the clock on her phone.

“It’s noon. I’ll be there… by 2?” Spinel guessed that it would take two more hours to get there. She slumped in her seat. She wasn’t a very patient person, at all. She didn’t like to wait for things to happen. She thought about why she needed to go to Beach City. _Peeps’ past… Why couldn’t he tell me over the phone? Is it that personal? It has to be somethin’ bad or else how would a girl like_ _her_ _ever relate to a girl like_ _me?_ Spinel just didn’t get Peeps. Or any girl like her. She was just… perfect. Perfect grades, perfect reputation, perfect as-

_ What was that last one? What am I thinkin’? Do I… am I… _ Spinel questioned herself. What did she  _ really _ think of Peeps? She was a good friend to her. She helped her with her nightmare issue since the beginning of the school year, in a way. But Spinel never really told her what she was dreaming about. How could she? She hates talking about her past. She would always feel sick anytime she spoke about it outloud. She had only talked about her past twice before. The first time she told Steven, then she told her aunts. Her aunts’ talked to her about seeing a therapist before. They could most certainly afford it. But Spinel didn’t feel like telling her story a third time.

Penelope was a good person. A much better person than Spinel could ever be. Or so she thought. She looked out of the window of the cab. The sky was turning grey. “Maybe it’s gonna rain.” Spinel said out loud. “Did you say something?” The sound of the driver’s voice startled Spinel. Especially since he was talking to her. “Oh, uh, I was just sayin’ that it’s probably gonna rain soon.” The driver replied with a “Hm.” And continued driving. Spinel sighed.  _ Two whole hours… I wonder if Peeps can actually help me. _

  
  


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Peeps sat down on the window ledge. She was simply listening to Yolanda and Belle talk to each other. Peeps didn’t really have anything to say, so she just sat back and watched. Other than her friends’ voices, she also heard the raindrops hitting the large bay window in the room. It was a pleasant sound to hear, since Peeps succeeded in getting on good terms with her friends. She listened in on what they were talking about now. “And then she yelled at my boss calling her a clod! She got fired right then. I knew better then to do anything like that.” Yolanda said, slightly frowning at the memory. “But now that I think about it… my boss sort of deserved to be called that.” Belle smiled. “I bet you never heard the end of it from your boss.” Yolanda shook her head. “She was mostly just stomping around and mumbling under her breath… but she got over it weeks after.”

Peeps giggled. Her life would be back to normal soon. She just had to give it a little time. She decided to push Spinel to the back of her mind for now. If she thought about her all the time, it would distract her from other things. But she also felt like if she put Spinel on the bottom of her “Priorities” list, it would be like abandoning her. After she heard about her past, Peeps would never even think of doing something like that to her. She was stuck in a weird relationship with Spinel. She still felt guilty about kissing her out of nowhere. But should she really feel guilty about her feelings? 

_ Speaking of feelings… ever since the day I kissed her, I’ve been falling more in love with her… I’ve been thinking about her everyday. I just don’t know what to do.... Even if I do apologize to her and she forgives me, what do I do after that? Confess my love? That would be way too soon! I just have to wait a little longer to tell her. I don’t even know if she likes me as a friend let alone a lover. _

With a heavyhearted sigh, Peeps hopped out of the window and walked over to her bed. Yolanda looked at Peeps with a slight frown. “What’s making you sad?” Peeps pulled a fake smile. “Nothing Yolanda. I’m fine.” Yolanda scoffed. “You can’t tell me that there’s nothing wrong when there is something  _ clearly  _ bothering you. Besides... We’ve known each other for most of our lives, and we know when you’re lying. Isn’t that right, Belle?” Belle nodded. “You can tell us anything, Penelope. We still love you no matter what. We’re kind of like sisters after all.” Yolanda slightly blushed, but she also seemed slightly disturbed.  _ Well I wouldn’t say  _ _ sisters _ _.... _

Peeps frowned. “But what if you-” “Penelope. Just tell us what's wrong.” Yolanda said, losing her patience. “Maybe we can even help. And if we can’t, then we can definitely cheer you up.” Belle said, trying to reassure Peeps in the best way she could without exactly knowing what’s wrong. Peeps looked at her two friends with hopeless eyes.  _ I don't deserve to have such good friends like you two.  _ Peeps sighed. “Alright… But you might be mad at me.” Belle frowned. “We could never! Right, Yolanda?” Yolanda shrugged. “Depends.” Peeps gulped. When she started to speak, her voice sounded tense. “I’m… Well the thing is.. I think I’m in love.” Belle and Yolanda stared at Peeps incredulously. They seemed as though they didn’t believe her. Then Belle spoke up.

“Oh my goodness! That’s great news!” Belle said, more ecstatic than Peeps ever seen her before. Yolanda gasped. “Wh-What? Are you serious, Penelope?” Peeps couldn’t tell if Yolanda was angry or not. Yolanda scratched her forehead. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Peeps blushed. “I was afraid that you wouldn’t like who I have a crush on…” Peeps said, playing with a strand of her light brown hair. “Peeps, didn’t we just talk about this not minutes ago? We love you no matter what.” Belle said. “And besides, our opinion doesn’t matter when it comes to whom you love!” Yolanda simply nodded. “Tell us who it is, now. We won't judge you.”  _ I’m not sure about that, Yolanda… _ Peeps thought, thinking about how she reacted yesterday from just looking at Spinel. Peeps couldn’t keep this secret for much longer. She had to tell them about her crush. It would take a big weight off of her shoulders.

“Fine… I tell you.” Belle grinned while Yolanda looked at her questioningly. “I… I’m in love with-” Suddenly, a loud “CRASH!” sound came from outside. It was raining much heavier, and a thunderstorm was coming. That noise was the sound of lightning. It startled the three girls. Yolanda especially. She yelped and hugged Belle tightly. “Whew! That scared me to death!” Peeps said, putting a hand on her chest. “Right when you were about to tell us who it was…” Belle said, hugging Yolanda back. “Are you okay, Yolanda?” Yolanda didn’t reply. She instead gripped tighter to Belle. Belle was getting uncomfortably tight, so she tried to pry Yolanda off of her. 

Peeps giggled a bit at the sight. Yolanda snapped out of it and pushed Belle away from her. “Sorry… It just scared me. Belle smiled. She knew that Yolanda was a bit sour at times, but she’s a good person. “So anyways, who is it, Peeps?” Peeps started sweating a little.  _ Crap, why is this so hard? These are my best friends in the entire world! Why can’t I just say it? Why am I so scared? Am I… ashamed…?  _ Peeps started thinking about what Lalielle said earlier today outside. She stated that Peeps thought she was too good for Spinel, and that Spinel was a burden. Peeps knew that that wasn’t true. In her heart at least. What was her brain telling her? She couldn’t hear her brain at the moment. Her heart was yelling too loud. Spinel possibly couldn’t afford to hurt anyone anymore. Unless it was for a good reason…

Peeps took a deep breath. Perhaps she was being a little too dramatic about this. ”Okay. The person that I have a crush on is… Spinel.” Belle looked at Peeps with a blank expression. It seems as if she was just processing what Peeps had just said. Yolanda on the other hand looked a little disappointed. She was trying her best not to hurt Peeps’ feelings by looking angry. But she couldn’t help her feelings. Belle opened her mouth to say something, but she silenced herself. Yolanda was the first to actually speak. “Peeps… When did you realize this?” Peeps gasped at that question. She wasn’t expecting that question at all. Especially from Yolanda. “I think… When she first spoke to me. The sound of her voice attracted me…” Peeps was starting to daydream again. She started smiling and looking up at the ceiling. Yolanda and Belle started at her with confused expressions. “Um… Penelope? Are you still there?” Belle said. “Snap out of it!” Yolanda said, waving her hand in front of Peeps’ face. She wasn’t responding. Yolanda groaned and snapped her fingers multiple times to try and get her attention. Peeps shook her head and looked back at her roommates. 

“Sorry, girls. I just got distracted.” Belle gave her a soft smile. “That’s alright. That just shows how much you think about Spinel.” Peeps blushed. Yolanda sighed. “Oh girl. What are we gonna do with you?” Yolanda chuckled. Peeps miled as well, relieved that they didn’t judge her for loving Spinel. “Thanks, girls.” Belle shook her head. “For what?” “Thanks for not judging me.” Peeps said, looking her happiest than she had in a long time. “Oh, Peeps. No need to thank us. If we judged you, what kind of friends would we be?” Belle stated. “Exactly.” said Yolanda. Peeps was still surprised that Yolanda was taking this so well. She thought that she would get scolded by her “Also, I’m sorry, Peeps. For what I said yesterday about Spinel… I just don’t really know her that well.” Peeps looked at Yolanda with wide eyes. She wasn’t expecting an apology. “I just… I’m not sure i can forgive her for hurting all those people last year. And for what? I don’t even know…” Peeps gulped. She wasn’t sure that she could tell either of them about Spinel’s past. Not without her permission at least.

Though she didn’t want Spinel to feel embarrassed or upset, Peeps also didn’t want Yolanda to not know why she went crazy at their school. Maybe it can wait a little longer. She shouldn’t dwell on that right now. 

  
  


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Spinel laid her head against the car window, fast asleep. All of the driving and the sounds of raindrops made her sleepy. Her hoodie was covering up her face while she slept. She felt awkward being watched while she slept, even if she knew that the driver had his eyes on the road the entire time. Before she went to dreamland, she was feeling anxious that she would have another nightmare. Afraid that she would have another mental breakdown. But while she was pondering on that, her body was slowly falling asleep. The best part is that Spinel wasn’t dreaming of anything at all! She’d rather dream about nothing than to have another bad nightmare.

The driver really wasn’t paying attention to her at all. At times, he even forgot that she was back there. He was too busy chatting on his phone or listening to music. In a few minutes, Spinel would reach her destination. She shouldn’t sleep for too long. She wasn’t always known for taking long naps. The car suddenly went to a stop. Strangely, that was enough for Spinel to wake up. “A-are we there yet?” said Spinel, still sounding sleepy. She pulled the hoodie off her head and looked around. “Yeah, we’re here.” The driver said, still not really paying any attention to his customer. Spinel took a deep breath.  _ Ok. I’m here. Now I just have to text Steven. _ Spinel pulled out her phone from the front pocket of her jeans. She scrolled through her contacts and eventually found the name she was looking for. She clicked his name and started to text him.

**“I’m here, waiting outside.”**

Spinel was as terrified as ever. Speaking to Steven on the phone is one thing, but talking to him in person is another story. Spinel played with the strings on her hoodie to wait for a reply. Suddenly, she felt the car move. “H-hey! What are ya doin’?” Spinel said, clinging onto the car door. “Oh, I thought you left already. Why are you still in here?” “I’m waiting for someone to show up so I can go in…” The driver looked confused. “That’s not how it works. The longer you stay in here, the more you have to pay.” Spinel’s eyes widened and she quickly rushed out of the door. She fell face-first into the sand of the beach. She groaned and she tried to get back up.  _ Oh geez, I’m a mess… _ As she wiped the sand on her face, she heard the driver roll down his window. ‘Uh… You OK?” Spinel nodded. “Ok. Your fine is… $70.50.” Spinel blinked. She started sweating.  _ Dammit! I forgot to ask my aunts for money! I only have 10 dollars on my card… And I have no paper money!  _ “I uh…” Spinel gulped. 

She gripped the sand on the ground where she was still sitting. “I’ll get it for ya.. In a minute.” Spinel felt heated- Angry at herself. Perhaps she was overreacting. It’s just a simple mistake! She just forgot money.  _ Wait… I know what to do! If you make a mistake- especially a financial one- there’s only one thing you can do. _ Spinel stood up and turned towards the beach house. Then she sprinted as fast as she could.

  
  


The driver didn’t notice for a few seconds, but then heard Spinel running. “Hey! Where are you going?” Spinel didn’t reply. She just kept running. She looked at the beach house and saw the front door open. She squinted her eyes to see who it was. First she saw black, curly hair. Then she saw them wearing a black t-shirt with a bright, yellow star in the middle. Spinel stopped running. She knew exactly who it was. “St-Steven…” Then she heard the taxi door open and close. She was in trouble. “What do you think you’re doing? You will get fined for that.” Spinel gulped. Steven kept walking down the stairs. The lower he got, the more he heard about what was happening. “Um.. huh?” Then Steven soon realized the situation once he went all the way down the stairs.    
  
“Hey, Spinel… Why aren’t you paying him? Spinel felt like she couldn’t move. She was looking like a criminal in front of Steven. She turned around to the taxi driver. He seemed angry, and he had every right to be. Steven ran towards Spinel. Spinel felt like walking backwards away from him, but she couldn’t. Once he reached her, Spinel sighed. “I-I don't have enough money…” Steven looked confused for a minute, then he just smiled. “Oh. Well I can pay for it, no biggie.” Spinel wanted to protest but Steven already ran away. Spinel watched from afar as Steven casually talked to the taxi man. She saw Steven’s expression turn into a surprised one. So she guessed he just heard the price of the ride.  _ Great job Spinel. First ya forget to ask for money and now you have Steven payin’ for it! Yer so dumb!  _ Spinel felt guilty for something that wasn’t even a big deal.

Steven walked back towards Spinel as the taxi drove away.  _ Oh no, he’s coming back! W-what should I even say?  _ When Steven was a little less than one foot from Spinel, she finally decided what to say. “I’m sorry!” Steven shook his head. “What for?” “For makin’ you pay…” Steven chuckled. “I told you, it’s no big deal. My dad is basically rich so I could afford it. But you have to pay me back someday.” Spinel nodded and said “Ok.” Steven smiled. “Anyways, It’s nice to see you!” Spinel inhaled and exhaled to calm herself before speaking. “It’s nice to see you too.”  _ Why am I so nervous in front of him? Oh yeah, because I’m an embarrassment…  _ The sky started getting grayer. A raindrop fell on Spinel’s forehead. “Steven, I think it's starting to rain… I felt a raindrop fall on me.” Spinel said, lookin’ up at the sky.``Alright, let’s go inside so we-'' Steven was interrupted by a loud  _ CRASH!  _ Spinel was only shook for a second since she wasn’t too afraid of thunderstorms. Steven on the other had yelled like a child and ran. Spinel smiled a bit and followed Steven to the house.

Once they went inside, Steven sighed of relief. “Oh thank God. I'm fine with normal rain but when it comes to thunderstorms, I can’t stand them!” Spinel smiled more. “Thunder doesn’t bother me that much.” Steven smiled. “Well, you can go sit down while I get drinks.” Spinel did as he said and sat down. “Do you like lemonade?” Spinel shrugged. “Never had it.” Steven stared at her with a shocked-but comical- expression. “No! You must be joking!” Spinel chuckled nervously. “Hehe.., Nope, I’m dead serious.” Steven dashed to the kitchen. Spinel got nervous.  _ Did I say somethin’ wrong? _ She heard him come back with two cups of a yellow drink with a piece of sliced lemon on the cup.  _ That must be what lemonade looks like.  _ Steven hands Spinel a cup. “Here, drink it.” Spinel grabs the cup. She sniffed it a bit. “It smells sour.” Steven smiles. “Trust me, It’s not bad. I would tell you how it tastes, but then I wouldn’t let you experience it for yourself.” Spinel smiled at how thoughtful he was. She placed the cup to her lips and drank some. “Mm. It’s sweet and sour. I like it!” Spinel drank some more. “I’m glad!” Steven said. “You might need it for what I’m about to tell you.”

Spinel blinked. “Huh?”  _ I totally forgot what we were supposed to talk about!  _ Steven frowned slightly. “You know… about Penelope.” Spinel was going to spit out her drink but instead swallowed it hard.  _ I’m not gonna spit out this delicious drink!  _ Her throat was a little sore from swallowing a lot of the drink, but it only lasted for a small second. “Oh, yeah.” Spinel wasn’t sure what Peeps’ story was, but if she could relate with her, then it has to be something bad. Spinel was feeling sorry for her already and she didn’t even know what happened. Steven sits down next to her and puts his cup down on the table in front of them. 

Spinel was getting anxious. Steven looked a little scared as well.  _ Her story must be difficult to tell. I feel all kinds of negative vibes from Steven. Maybe I should say somethin’?  _ “Um.. Are ya ok, Steven?” “I’m fine… I’m just trying to refresh my memory a little.” Spinel nodded and took another sip of her drink. With a heavy hearted sigh, Steven finally said “Ok, I’ll tell you now. But you promise that you won’t tell anyone just yet, ok?” Spinel nodded again. 

“Ok. It first started when Penelope was young- maybe about 5 or 6. She was playing with her babysitter one day… Our mom. Then-” “Wait wait… Our  _ Mom _ was her babysitter!?” Spinel said, clearly not expecting that at all. Steven gulped. “Y-yes.” Spinel felt a lot more anxious now, but she wanted to hear the rest of the story.“Y-you can continue.” Steven nodded. “They were playing with each other while Penelope’s parents went away. Then aunt Ysobel and aunt Bianca visited them. She told Penelope to stay in the room while they went out of the hallway. You know that Mom wanted nothing more than to own one of the buildings that the family had. They basically have control over the entire city. She was a natural leader after all, and she wanted to test out her dictator skills. She begged and begged but they would not let her. When they left Penelope’s house, Mom was enraged. She didn’t want to take out her anger on Penelope, so she went into the living room. She was throwing things, stomping her feet, and even throwing couch cushions around. When she picked up a glass vase and threw it, Penelope entered the room and it hit her left eye. 

Mom felt really really bad, so she tried everything to help her. She had a first aid kit in her purse so she tried to wrap up her eye. It didn’t work very well and Penelope was in more pain. She had no choice but to call the ambulance and her parents. When her parents came home, they immediately fired Mom so she left. When the ambulance arrived, Penelope and her parents went to the hospital. They had to do surgery on her eye since there was glass in her eyelid. After a few hours, they told Penelope’s parents that she would never be able to see out of her left eye again.” Spinel didn’t drink any of her lemonade while hearing that story. She felt so sad for Penelope. But at the same time it wasn’t as bad as what happened to her, so she was confused as to how Peeps could relate to her trauma. “Steven-” “Spinel there’s  **more** . That was only the first part.” Spinel gulped. “After about a day of rest at the hospital, they went home. Penelope’s dad was constantly apologizing and giving her love and affection, as any good parent would. Her mother on the other hand was making her study. It was the beginning of summertime, and school wouldn’t start for about 3 more months, so Penelope was confused as to why her mom made her study. One day she asked why and her mom got angry. She said ‘Since your dumb babysitter broke your face, you have to get used to reading and writing with only seeing out of one eye. You’ll be the smartest kid in your grade level when I make you study all summer.’ Penelope didn’t want to study all summer.. She didn’t even feel like playing with the other kids. She just mostly felt like crying. Her favorite babysitter hurt her and got fired, her entire face still hurt from the surgery, and her mom was making her work. She didn’t want to question any further or her mom would “discipline” her. So she just kept quiet. After a few months of studying, her last month of summer was study-free. But she did have to do twice the number of chores she originally had to do. For the same reason as well. Getting used to seeing with one eye was a lot harder than she thought.

Her Mom got mad at her one day because she was crying about her eye being hurt. She kept yelling at her to stop crying and deal with it. Her dad tried to reason with her but she wouldn’t listen. Eventually, Penelope’s dad left them. When school finally started again, Penelope was depressed. She didn’t try to talk to people or participate in fun school activities. She was like a mindless zombie who did work all of the time. Some kids used to bully her for her eye, but she didn’t have the strength to talk back. She just ignored them. They kept teasing and teasing her, until they eventually got bored of her. She didn’t cry or get mad. One day she just didn’t care anymore. She actually felt like a zombie. It was the same deal at home, but except her mom never got tired of ruining her life. She always complained about how she never showed emotion, and when Penelope tried to pull a smile, she complained about how much she was smiling and that she had nothing to be happy for. 

It was like that for a few years until she reached 8th grade. Her friends, Yolanda and Belle, finally got reunited with her. Penelope’s mom forbade her from seeing her friends at school because she didn’t want her to be distracted. But once her mom didn’t care about that anymore, she was allowed to talk to them. Belle and Yolanda didn’t see Penelope in years, and they were worried sick about her. Penelope told them everything that happened over the past 6 years, and they swore to never leave her side. They helped encourage her and build back her self worth. She eventually got better, but I still believe that she is still hurting deep down inside.”

Steven drank some of his lemonade, He was a bit dehydrated after talking so much. Spinel still hasn’t touched her drink. She looked frozen. She didn’t know how much Peeps went through. “Oh my God…”  _ Verbally abused by her mom for years… over somethin’ that wasn’t even her fault… She was so young. How could she have endured all of the abuse without talking back or even disobeying her at least once? She… She’s a lot stronger than me. _ Spinel felt really guilty for thinking that she was crazy or weird. Spinel thought that herself was a lot crazier than her. Spinel stood up from her seat. Steven looked up at her. “Spinel? Where are you going?” Spinel looked down at the floor. “I need to go back to school and talk to her.” Steven’s face turned into a happy smile. “You’re not gonna finish your drink at least?” Spinel shook her head.  _ It may be awkward to see her again after she kissed me, but we need to talk either way. Maybe I can help her, She can help me… We can help each other.  _

Spinel walked towards the door and opened it. It was pouring outside. The thunder and lightning was getting worse. “Eh... Maybe until the storm passes… then I’ll go back to school.” Steven chuckled a bit. “Well in the meantime we can spend quality time together!” Spinel turned around to Steven. “Huh?” Steven smiled wider. “I always wanted a sister!” Spinel blushed a bit at hearing that. They were only half-siblings, but related either way. Maybe this is her chance to really get to know Steven. And When it stops raining, She will get to know Peeps as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oiwefchikw Like I said in chapter 6, I am planning to make the last chapter be 13, but that might change and the last chapter could be 11 or even 10! Again im not really sure just yet, so stay tuned!


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